It was about 10 minutes before Buffy and Faith left. It was once again lounging time for the group. Cordelia sighed with how bored she was. Even though she was close to Angel right now she had business to take care of. She smiled up at him, "I'm going to go take a shower."
Angel took his arm from around her shoulder and smiled, "Okay. We'll be around."
Cordy nodded and walked away. Spike who was sitting on the couch glared up at Angel, "Well, well, well. Looks like you and the seer see eye to eye."
Angel sighed, "Why do you state things you already know? Is it because you love the sound of your own voice, or is it because you need to make yourself feel smart."
Spike stood up to meet his eyes, "It's because I want to make sure you don't hurt Buffy again. Here's the facts Angel; She loves me as a friend. I love her as a friend because I might like Faith a little more. She loves you more then this world. Cordelia loves you more then this world too. So the only thing we don't know is what the hell are you feeling? All I'm saying now is you better figure it out soon because I'm not going to stand here and watch her wait for you."
With that Spike walked out of the room. Don't know where but he walked away. Angel stood staring at the ground knowing he was right. He was interrupted by Xander's voice, "Wow Spike can be a little pain in the ass."
Angel smiled, "Try spending over a centry with him. He never shut up."
Willow smiled, "Spike may be high on himself but he knows what's really best for buffy. None of us are forcing you to pick her because that would be just wrong and she'd probably hate us all if she found out we were saying any of this."
Xander picked it up for her, "But you just need to know she's been hurting a lot Angel. You don't have to love her back but with everything you two have been through she deserves a clean break."
Angel nodded and threw himself on the couch, "God I hate emotions."
Willow smiled, "We know. You brood a lot."
Angel smiled and finally realized Oz's arm around Willow's waist. "At least you two got each other figured out."
Oz nodded, "If it wasn't for buffy getting her drunk we wouldn't have anything figured out."
Willow nodded, "Yea. Yay alcohol."
Xander shook his head, "You two never learn. After cave woman and no more friends you still drink."
Willow fake glared at him, "It's not buffy's fault she was drinking okay. It was Parker's. The beer was spiked with a spell. None of which has to do with us."
Xander shook his head, "Hey! If Parker hadn't slept with her and then not called her none of it would of happened. Who talked her into thinking this was a good idea again?"
Willow went silent and Angel finally spoke, "Parker must be the one Spike was talking about while he tortured me."
Oz nodded, "Yeah, you guys should of seen it. Angel's very pale."
Angel shook his head, "In my defense I've had about 6 hours in the sun in the past two centries."
Willow looked out into the sun through the door, "I don't know how you did it Angel. You gave up the sun for the world. I'd miss watching a sunset more then a lot of things."
Angel shrugged, "Well I didn't exactly give up the sun."
Willow and Xander stared down, "Yes you did." Xander continued, "Buffy told us you were human and then not. A whole 24 hours and all the crying details."
Willow nodded, "You make the hardest choices Angel. How do you find the strength to just sit here and be calm knowing Buffy and faith are out there alone looking for your only son who could be missing."
Angel started to remember the day and had the perfect answer, "I always know she'll be okay. Buffy's always get's it done."
-Streets Of L.A.-
Buffy and Faith walked along one of the better done streets. As Faith glanced at the paper again buffy started really looking around. She sighed, "I grew up around here."
Faith looked up to see Buffy's obvious nostalgic face and couldn't help but be sorry, "We shouldn't of come back. Seems this trip only got us depressed and full of drama again."
Buffy smiled, "I miss my L.A. days. Most popular girl in school, no one would say they hated me to my face and I could have pretty much any guy I wanted."
Faith smiled back at her, "Those were the days."
Buffy nodded and finally got back to the whole reason they were walking the streets in the first place, "Are we any closer to this place?"
Faith looked at the paper Angel wrote on and sighed, "I have no idea. The numbers are all handwritten. He really needs to get modernized. I mean he doesn't even have a..."
The whole time Faith was rambling Buffy was eyeing a house accross the street from them. She finally shut Faith up by hitting her in the shoulder. She ignored the owe that came from faith's mouth and pointed to the house, "Looks oddly suspicious."
Faith stared across tot he open house and nodded. In seconds they were walking long strides across the street towards the house. They found it so intriguing because the door was left wide open, they hadn't seen one person and no cars were in the driveway. It took them less then 30 seconds to make it to the door.
The slayers started to slowly peak inside just in case their suspisions were wrong. When no one answered they walked inside. They made it about 2 feet when faith stopped, "Eww." Buffy looked her way just in time to see faith bend down and then stand back up holding a rag. She sniffed only a little bit and sighed, "Someone was drugged."
Buffy silently swore to herself. "We can't be sure it's Conner."
Faith nodded, "Yea, I mean this is L.A."
Buffy nodded and looked at the stairs. Faith nodded and both of them started to ascend the stairs. They checked like five rooms before they finally came to the last one. Both were instantly jealous of how easy he was living. The last one they checked turned out to be Conner's.
Buffy opened the door and noticed it wa sinstantly a boy's room. She looked at faith, "Look for pictures or something. You know what he looks like right?"
Faith nodded, "Yep, pretty cute kid."
Buffy sighed, "Yea well, he's Angel's kid."
Faith went silent as they started looking around. It took them about 5 minutes to find any proof of who this person was. Faith was the one to find a little photo album shaped like a heart. She started going through it after calling Buffy over who stood behind her staring too. Every picture contained the same woman. She was about 19 in some of the pictures along with Conner. The ones with Conner and the girl seemed pretty close, like he had her arm around her shoulder or in a few they were kissing.
Buffy smiled at the end, "Looks like whoever it is has a girlfriend."
Faith nodded, "That's Conner alright. He looks a lot happier then he was before."
Buffy smiled but stopped when she started to look around, "Looks like we tell Angel bad news."
Faith sighed, "How is he connected to any of this?"
Buffy shrugged, "No idea." After a pause she stood up along with faith, "Could the kid take care of himself? Like was he strong?"
Faith smiled, "Oh yea."
Buffy nodded, "So it makes me wonder who has enough strength to take him and not cause a fight."
Faith realized what she was getting at "Looks like our little Hamilton is in the mix."
Buffy smiled, "So we go back and tell Angel. We'll figure everything else out from there."
Faith nodded and started walking out the door. Buffy quickly grabbed a picture of Conner and his girlfriend before following faith down the stairs and out of the house.
-Hyperion - Cordy's Room-
Cordelia was glad she kept the room with a phone in the room. She closed the door and locked it after making sure she was alone. When she knew everything was safe she walked to the phone, sat on the bed and dialed a number she had to memorize.
-Wolfram And Hart-
Lyndsey sat at his desk revelling in his success. As he stared out the window at the the view of the city he cursed the phone for ringing. He knew who it was though as he picke dup, "Cordelia. It's about time."
Cordy sighed, "Yea, well, I'm working on a little more then just this plan. It's hard to be alone in this place."
Lyndsey smiled, "It's alright I guess."
"Good. So when's all the good stuff going down? It bettwe be soon. Angel and Buffy get even a little bit closer and I won't even be able to hideit anymore."
Lyndsey laughed a little, "Plans have changed just a little Cordelia." Cordelia gasped in fear as she continued to listen, "We will no longer require your services in bringing Buffy in. You stay on the good side of Angel, nobody has to know you had anything to do with this and all you have to do is go along with everything we do and not say a word."
Cordelia was shocked, "So then what happens now?"
"My friend Hamilton will pay you guys a visit pretty quick, a little after sunset. He'll tell buffy everything knowing she won't kill him and he'll leave. Buffy will come to us with whatever little plan she has and then we'll do the reverse spell. Her witch won't be able to do it. Buffy won't have her little army of slayers for a while and she'll be as vulnerable as ever."
Cordelia looked a little worried, "How come Willow won't be able to do the spell she has planned?"
Lyndsey loved the cryptic part, "Just leave that to us."
Cordelia smiled, "So when do you kill her?"
Lyndsey shook a sip of his drink, "We don't. We have much bigger plans then killing her. But no worries, Cordy. She will suffer."
Now Cordelia was defenitely unsure about it all, "Why did anything have to change?"
Lyndsey stood now in front of the window, "Sometimes we find opprotunities better then the ones before. So thank you Cordy for the head start but as of now you are officially out of the deal. You call me again and we'll actually have you terminated. You should be happy Cordelia, no one's ever going to know about your part in this and buffy's going to suffer. Cheer up. Goodbye Cordelia."
-Cordy's Room-
It took Cordelia like 2 minutes just to put the phone down. She wasn't sure wheather to be happy or to be majorly pissed about what she just heard. So she sat for a few minutes only to decide the simple way. She's not and never was evil, buffy's going to suffer like she wanted and Angel will be hers like she wanted. All in all everything worked out. All she had to do wa make sure Conner and Dawn weren't hurt. She didn't even know what she would do if Conner was hurt. Beside that fact Wolfram and hart actually came through for once in all the time she's known them, so she thought.
-The Cage-
Small conversation had occured between Dawn and Conner but they mostly just sat in silence. Conner had told Dawn he got all his healing bruises and cuts from a fight and Dawn told Conner she got her gash from the guy that brought them there. They both figured out that the other one knew about vampires and demons. Other then that though nothing was said. Conner took every chance to stare into her eyes when she wasn't staring into his.
Dawn finally decided to try and sit up against the wall. She winced really loudly, "Woah, bad idea."
Conner was instantly by her side and leaning over her. "You okay?"
Dawn nodded, "Yeah, fine. I'm trapped in a cage because of a very rude and strong guy with a very cute guy who I think likes me and I think I might bleed to death. Yeah, I'm just great."
Conner decided to ignore the cute crack at him and answered to the rest, "Do you even know why he took us?"
Dawn shrugged, "No idea."
Conner sat back against the wall, but this time just a little closer to Dawn. "We have to have some connection to each other or else they would of taken us both."
Dawn nodded, "Well I used to be a key that opened the doors to all the hell dimensions in the world."
Now Conner was defenitely edgy knowing he was brought through a hell dimension. She didn't look like akey to him, "You're a key? You're not really shaped..."
Dawn laughed the bet she could without wincing, "Yeah I know. I'm fake. All my memories and my family's memories are fake. They made me out of energy and in my blood there's energy called a key. They sent me to my sister because they knew the slayer would take care of me."
Conner smiled all of a sudden extremely excited, "Your sister is THE slayer?"
Dawn nodded, "Well there's like hundreds now but she's the most famous one."
Conner nodded and calmed down. Suddenly though a thought popped in his head, "Well you have a super hero sister and I have a super hero real dad. Maybe they're connected."
Dawn hit her head with a hand actually scaring Conner. He didn't have to wait long before she spoke to him, "You're Angel's son aren't you?"
Conner was suddenly intrigued by her knowing him, "How did you know?"
Dawn sighed and took a deep breath for a long explanation. "Angel and Buffy, my sister are the most hated people in the world. Some evil, probably the law firm took us so they could lure Buffy and Angel to them."
Conner nodded, "Okay, so I still don't know how you know who i am."
Dawn nodded, "I was getting to that. Well buffy and Angel have this all time forbidden love. Angel left her a long time ago but they're still in love. A little while ago to help save Angel and the world Buffy took a power that made it so she could kill demons with her soul. The catch was she had to feel everything Angel and Spike did and of course she said yes. The second she got the power she knew about you, she could feel him feeling for you. She told us all about you and she cried a lot. Probably just because Darla was your mom."
Conner gasped with another surprise, "Buffy knows my mom?"
Dawn smiled, "I know you have this whole new and real life but the one that was given up has a lot of history. Buffy tried to kill Darla, Darla tried to kill Angel and Buffy. Angel finally killed Darla. Lawyera people brought her back, Drusilla vamped her, Angel tried to kill them, dru went to Sunnydale for Spike and Darla did the nasty with Angel. Drusilla took off and then Daral took off until the baby crap happened. That's all i know."
Conner was stunned. he hadn't really thought about other parts of Angel's life at all. When he didn't have this whole new life he pretty much hated Angel, with everything he had and all he felt was pain. He never thought about his sul or about what he could of done with it. For some odd reason he wanted to know now, his curiousity brought the next words out of his mouth before he could even think, "I think I want to talk to your sister."
Dawn giggled a little, "Of curse you would. Something about her just makes her the center of attention."
Conner nodded and looked around. "So which one do you think this is about?"
Dawn shrugged, "Kill two birds with one stone."
Conner sighed and after a long pause finally spoke, "God I'm hungry."