Many thanks to my two reviewers for their reviews. Here is the last part. Warning, dialogue in the last part came directly from the episode 'Deep Down' slightly modified to allow the other characters in.

Unexpected Savior

Part Three

By Marie Nomad

It was late at night as Conner and Lindsey walked through the doors. "Did you two have a nice date?" Kate asked as she looked at the two.

"Date?" Conner looked at Lindsey hesitantly.

"It's a Kate joke. She didn't mean anything." Lindsey explained, "And we had fun."

"Great." Kate nodded, "Fred and Gunn need to talk to you, Conner."

"Sure, no problem." Conner smiled at Lindsey. "I really had fun tonight. It's almost as fun as destroying a nest of vampires."

"Glad you enjoyed it." Lindsey smiled a little at the teenager and he ran up the stairs. After a moment, he asked Kate in a low voice, "Did they hear everything?" He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a wire.

"Every single word and note." Kate replied, "They couldn't believe it was him. They were really torn up."

"Well, at least we know for sure that Conner did the crime, we just have to find Angel and get him out before the damage is permanent."

"How far gone do you think he is?" Kate asked.

"Three months without blood, I don't know. I've read reports of vampires who were starved for extended amount of time and become nothing but walking skeletons. At least, Angel would be delusional, at worst, zombiefied. We need to get him out as soon as humanly possible." Lindsey explained as he took the wire off.

"Hopefully, he will show you. He's a young teenager who is very lonely and very secretive. He had defeated a vicious monster so he would brag it to someone." Kate said.

"I got this far in one night. All I need to do is push him a little more and he'll bring me right to-" All of a sudden, Conner's scream came from upstairs. "him." He finished as he and Kate ran up the stairs and into Conner's room to see Fred with a tazer shocking the boy.

"You bastard! How could you!" Fred screamed as she shocked him again.

"Let it go!" Kate grabbed Fred by the arms and her eyes became gold as she forced the Texan to drop the tazer.

"We were just getting to him." Gunn explained as Lindsey stared at him. "Fred just went berserk and we wanted to make sure he won't hurt anyone else. When we get Angel back here, he can whoop his ass."

"If we can find him." Lindsey glared at the dark man. "Do you know how big and deep is Point Dume? We need to know a good location or we would have to search every inch of that place!"

Fred realized her mistake and cried, "He… he knew all this time! We were looking for Angel and this kid knew that he was right under our noses! Why? Why did he trick us?"

"He's a messed up kid." Kate explained, "Don't worry, it's hard to blame the ones you love. The only reason why Lindsey and I weren't fooled was that we're a pair of cynical people who had seen sick humans do very sick things that aren't demon related."

"So, what should we do? Play 'find the needle in the sea'?" Gunn asked, "Or have Kate use her powers? I saw your eyes turn gold for a sec."

"I learned a skill." Kate looked at Conner. "It's handy for this sort of thing. We have his partner in custody and she didn't know anything about him being here." She grabbed the boy by the temples. "And he will show up to save her."

XXX

Wesley was feeling very frustrated. Ever since Lindsey and Kate showed up, he had been confused. Those two had no real reason to find Angel except that maybe they had become good. Kate was good to begin with but he could see some sort of power in her. Was it possible that Kate had somehow become part demon like Cordelia or that she acquired some new superpower? Lindsey was just as confusing. He had obviously built up and let his hair grow out. What was he doing all this time?

Then, the phone rang. "Hello? No, I don't want a magazine subscription." He slammed the phone and then there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Wesley asked as he opened the door to see Conner standing there. "Conner?"

"Hello, Wes." The teenager knocked out the man and took the keys. He opened the door to see Justine sitting there. "Don't worry; I'm here to save you." Conner said as he unlocked the keys starting with the gag.

"Conner? How did you find me?" Justine asked relieved.

"That lawyer told me. They know what we did to Angel." Conner whispered as he gave Justine his long coat. "They're going to get him out and we'll have to deal with that demon again. He won't hold back against me."

"Damn it."

"We have to go and get the coffin out and put it somewhere else." Conner advised, "Hurry!"

Justine was disoriented from the freedom she now had. Conner had saved her from that lunatic. "Wesley's insane, he had kept me prisoner for months demanding to tell him but I didn't let up, not even when he was screwing with that Lilah girl."

"You were a strong one, we better go." They took the elevator to the parking lot and jumped into a beat up truck. "It's not much but it runs." Conner explained as he turned on the ignition and drove the truck towards Point Dume.

XXX

An hour passed and Conner and Justine made it to the parked boat. "Which way? They did some major magic on me to get the info out." Conner asked.

"That way, several miles. I remember." Justine said as Conner guided the boat.

"Good." He looked at the radar screen and after another hour, there was a metallic object. "There it is." He looked at his watch. "Just in time too."

"Let's get the coffin out and put on the beach before sunrise. That should turn him into dust." Justine said as she looked at the screen.

"Sounds good, no body, no evidence." Conner said as he turned around to face her. "Except, I won't allow it." In front of her eyes, Conner morphed from a young dark haired boy to an older blond woman.

"What the?" The blond ran up and knocked Justine down.

"The name is Kate Lockley." Kate spoke into her cell phone. "Okay, he's here."

Another boat came out of the darkness and came up beside the boat. Lindsey and Wesley hopped from the other boat. "Great job, Kate." Lindsey patted her arm. "Are you okay? You were a little close."

"I had five minutes left." Kate said as she sat down sweating.

Wesley handcuffed Justine to a rail. "You rest, Kate. We'll go and get Angel."

"You bastards." Justine tugged at her bonds. "When I get my hands on you…"

"You won't be doing anything you bitch." Kate said as she lifted her hand and it turned into a red claw. "I have a little demon in me."

XXX

Lindsey and Wesley swum down to the bottom of the ocean where a metal coffin lay. The two held up their flashlights and shone in the small window to see a pale corpse with his eyes closed. It was like some crude version of Snow White only with a vampire. His skin was pale white and he was thin and gaunt. They put chains on the sides and pulled the chain.

Then, the coffin was raised up with the two divers following it.

XXX

Lindsey took several deep breaths as he took off his scuba gear. "He doesn't look like a skeleton."

"He's as pale as Michael Jackson." Kate said as she handed Wesley a pair of cutters. Wesley had managed to get the slightly rusted lid off.

"Hopefully, that will be remedied with a little blood in his system." The ex-watcher said as he cut the cords that bound him. He put down the cutters and leaned forward. "Angel, can you hear me?"

He was answered by a pale hand shooting out of the coffin and latched onto Wesley's neck. "Angel!" Kate yelled as she and Lindsey came up.

"I'm all right." Wesley pried the hand off and forced it back down. "It's okay." He picked up a jar of cold pig's blood and started to force it down the vampire's throat.

"He'll kill you when he gets better. Do you think that he would actually forgive you for what you did?" Justine taunted.

"Shut up!" Kate knocked her out. "She deserved it." She said to her friends.

"It's nice to see you had not lost your subtle way of handling prisoners." Wesley said as he held Angel in his arms and made him drink. "There there. Lindsey, can you call the hotel, let Fred and Gunn know that we found Angel?"

"Of course." Lindsey ran out to the deck where it was still blissfully dark. He gazed out over the sea as he reached for his cell phone. He called the hotel and let Gunn know what happened. "Hello, Gunn. This is Lindsey, we found Angel. No, he's not fully awake yet but Wesley is feeding him blood right now. We'll get back as soon as we could. How's Conner? Okay. Good."

Lindsey hung up and took a deep breath. He had to face Angel. Ever since he left LA, he had wanted to talk to him and now, he wasn't sure. "Stay calm." He muttered to himself as he held his hand. After an hour of gazing at the stars, he got back into the cabin where Angel was drinking pig's blood by himself. His skin returned to normal but still had a strange glassy look in his eyes. "How is he?"

"Everything I touch turns to ashes, people die, I want to die." Angel ranted as he looked to the side. "Lorne, what have I done wrong?"

Kate looked at Lindsey. "Does that answer your question?"

"He should have drunk sufficient blood to become coherent." Wesley said as he looked at the empty jars.

"Maybe the trauma of being confined in that coffin for three months did that to him." Lindsey figured. "He was sent to the bottom of the ocean by his own son."

"Conner, Conner, what did Daddy do to you?" Angel whispered and then looked up at Wesley to see Conner. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Wesley paled and then shook it off. "No. He had been through worse. The blood is the factor. Of course. This blood is animal blood; it's not sustaining enough for him. He needs human blood." He reached into his pocket and got out his knife.

"Whoa." Kate ran up and grabbed his knife wielding hand. "You're not going to sacrifice yourself are you? Because, I've been down that path."

"I am not going to kill myself but thank you." Wesley said as he glanced at Justine.

"Whoa! You won't get me either!" Justine struggled to get back but still handcuff to the pipe.

"Nonsense. Your blood is too thin anyway." He unrolled his sleeve and sliced his arm. Angel smelled the blood and tilted his head towards Wesley. The Englishman sat down and put his wound over Angel's mouth. Eagerly, Angel grabbed his arm and sucked on the blood.

Wesley took several breaths as he felt his blood rushed out of his veins. He never dreamt that he would ever offer his own blood to a vampire but he had done things in the past few months that he never thought he would do. His head pounded as he lost more blood. Suddenly, the sucking stopped and his arm was released. "That did it." He figured when he collapsed onto the floor.

"Let me help you." Kate helped Wesley up and over to a chair. She took out the first aid kit and bandaged his arm.

Lindsey looked over at Angel who seemed more alert. "Angel?"

Angel looked back and said, "I love you. I need you." He closed his eyes and sleep again. "Cordy." He muttered under his non-existent breath.

"Oh boy."

XXX

"Well, that was a very interesting night." Kate said as the cars pulled up into the parking lot of the Hyperion. Wesley dropped off Justine, chained her to a lamppost with the key within her reach. Now, it was just him, Kate, and Angel with Lindsey driving the other car.

"I know." Wesley said as he stared at the hotel. "Don't tell them about what happened with the blood."

"Why not? You bleed for Angel, that's something not every person would do for a vampire."

"You or Lindsey would have done the same."

Kate looked at her hands. "That's not the point. You forced the blood into his mouth. If that's not friendship, I don't know what is."

"I just want to do what was right. They still won't forgive me for what happened. I'm no longer part of Angel Investigations. Let's go and get in." Wesley and Kate got Angel out of the truck and Lindsey joined them. Angel was just staring off into the distance and leaned over on Kate and Wesley.

"How is he doing?" Lindsey asked.

"I don't know. He seems to be doing better but his soul is a factor never tested in the Council. Just make sure he gets plenty of blood and rest."

"I'll make sure he'll rest." Kate promised.

"Good. I'll leave him in your care." Wesley turned around and walked away. He vanished in the shadows.

"Let's go inside." Lindsey said as he and Kate walked into the door.

"Look what we found while diving." Kate said as she helped Angel to the couch.

"Angel! Oh my god." Fred gushed as she and Gunn rushed to him.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Gunn asked Lindsey. He never had to deal with a sick vampire before. Before this, he didn't even know that vampires get sick.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Gunn looked at Angel who was staring off into space. "He's out of it."

"Oh god." Fred muttered as she put her hands on her face.

"It's okay." Gunn comforted as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Look at him." Fred said as she gestured at Angel.

"Everything is gonna be okay." Gunn said firmly.

"What do we do? Where's Wesley? I thought he was with you."

"He was but he left." Kate replied.

"Why didn't he tell us about Conner? He knew about what happened didn't he?" Gunn said as he glared at Lindsey. "That kid could've killed us in our sleep."

"You're human, maybe Wesley figured that Conner won't hurt you as long as you don't know anything."

"So, he just kept us in the dark and now he doesn't have the guts to face us?" Gunn slammed his hand in his fist. "Coward."

"He doesn't care any more."

Kate thought of the look in Wesley's face when Angel was drinking his blood. "He cares. Right now, we have a vampire to take care of. We need to get him some blood, some blankets, and maybe have Lindsey sing to him." At that, Angel let out a very loud groan.

All of a sudden, there was a crash. "Conner." Gunn muttered as the four ran out of the room.

"You left him alone!" Kate exclaimed.

"We had him tied up." Fred insisted and then the came into the room to see a tipped over chair. "Oh no."

Conner came up from behind and knocked them Gunn out. Then, he used Fred's own tazer against her. Kate jumped to the side and her arms morphed into a pair of huge wings. Conner tossed the lit tazer at her and she went down. Lindsey and Conner stared at each other. The older man looked down at his knife, put it away and stepped to the side. Conner was about to get out when Angel appeared in front of him.

"Sit down." He said forcefully.

"You're too weak to take me." Conner taunted as he studied his father carefully.

"You really think that?" Angel asked as he clenched his fists as he stood up straight. Conner paused and then sat down. "So, how was your Summer? Mine was fun. Saw some fish. Went mad with hunger. Hallucinated a bunch."

"You deserved worse." Conner growled as he thought Angel's punishment should have lasted much longer.

"Because I killed Holtz - except I didn't. I tried telling you that while you were busy offshore dumping me, but I didn't know the whole score. Holtz killed himself. Actually, he had your buddy Justine do it with an ice pick. Just to make you hate me." Angel explained carefully.

Conner was stunned. He struggled to find the words. "Even if… you still deserved it."

"What I deserve is open to debate. But understand there's a difference between wishing vengeance on someone and taking it. So now, the questions becomes: what do you deserve?" Angel asked sounding more like himself with every word. Conner became scared and ran to the door. Angel caught him and tossed him back to the chair. "Daddy's not done talking yet. Wesley told me everything that's been going on. So, as far as I'm concerned what you deserve rests on one answer: Did you do something to Cordelia?"

Conner looked him in the eyes and replied, "No."

"He's lying." Fred figured.

"No, I'm not."

"Why would he hurt Cordelia?" Lindsey defended.

"Because she's half demon. For all we know, Conner could have gotten a two for one sale on iron coffins." Gunn said as he glared at the lawyer.

"I'm telling the truth, okay?"

"I know. I can tell. You've done enough lying for me to know the difference. The truth has a better sound to it, less nasal, you know? Get up. What you did to me was unbelievable, Connor. But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so a few months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective. But I did get time to think. About us, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that yet. I hope you will be. I love you, Connor. Now get out of my house." Angel ordered as he pointed to the door. He loved his son. He still did despite all that he was put through. Still, he couldn't stand to see his son, not yet.

Conner got up and walked away without looking at anyone. After a moment of silence, Angel slumped over and leaned against the wall and his face paled. "Angel!" Fred exclaimed as she and the others surrounded him. Gunn helped Angel up.

"All that talking really takes it out of you."

"No kidding. Nice speech." Kate complimented, "Better than that 'Epiphany speech'."

"I had time on my hands." Angel said as Gunn helped him to a chair.

"You need rest." Fred said as she knelt down.

"I need Cordy." Angel insisted as he tried to get up. That long talk and the illusion of being a full strength took all the energy he got from Wesley's blood away. Now, he was weak. "Now. Wherever she is, whatever she's going through, we have to find her."

"We will but after you get better." Kate replied as she pushed Angel back down. "You're in no condition to rescue anyone."

"I'm fine. Really." Angel saw Lindsey and then looked away.

Kate saw this and pounced on it. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

Kate smirked. "I knew it. You think that Lindsey is a hallucination."

"I do not!" Angel denied and then looked his former arch foe again. "I know that he's real."

"Yeah right. You were looking nervously at me because you didn't know if I was real or not." Lindsey agreed as he walked up and flicked his finger on Angel's forehead. "You can relax. If Cordelia was in trouble, Brad would've told me."

"Brad?" Angel asked. "Who's Brad?"

"Brad, my right hand." Lindsey held up his hand. "He contacts me from the other side telling me when someone is in danger. That's how I know about you."

"Hold up!" Gunn looked between the two. "Are you telling me that your link to the Powers that Be is your hand! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of."

Brad took control and flipped Gunn the finger. "Brad's mad that you insulted him." Lindsey translated, "Besides, it's normal compared to dimension hopping offspring of two dead people."

Gunn looked to the side. "Okay, you got me there."

Fred came up and shook Lindsey's hand. "Well, thank you, Brad, for helping us with Angel."

"Yeah, thanks, all of you." Angel put his hand to his forehead wondering if he was still hallucinating. "But, I'll be fine." He got up and then toppled into Kate's arms.

"Sure, for a corpse. Think about this, if Cordelia was kidnapped by some powerful demon who managed to make it look like that she left willingly, would she want you to go out weak as a kitten and getting yourself dusted?" Kate emphasized her point by tightening her grip.

"The cop's right, Angel." Gunn said, "You could barely stand besides, daylight's coming. You can't go out there in the sun."

Angel pondered and then sighed. "Okay, fine, you win. We'll wait until sunset then we can go."

XXX

Angel lay in his bed looking through the newspapers Fred had kept while he was gone. She made it a point to keep every one just so he could catch up on his news. Next to him on the stand were a walkie talkie and a empty bloody glass. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that they are treating him like he was made out of glass. He wasn't a helpless child after all.

Then, he heard someone come in. "Lindsey."

"Angel."

The two stared at each other. "You know, I'm still confused on why you're here." Angel admitted.

"Neither did I and saving you of all people." Lindsey sat down in a chair. "In case you are wondering, I'm still pissed at you for that stupid stunt you pulled."

"What stunt?"

"The 'Cops Suck' stunt." Lindsey explained, "That was so immature of you, especially since you're older than this country!"

"Sorry." Angel said sheepishly, "I just thought it would be funny and you being a lawyer could talk yourself out of any legal trouble. You're not planning against any revenge right?"

"I'm not that immature." Lindsey said as he tossed a hot towel at Angel. The vampire caught it and put it on his forehead. "I had grown considerably. I learned some magic, made a few friends, and I don't hold grudges."

"Say, what happened to Kate. She smelled different."

"I learned a few things too." Kate replied as she entered the room. "Let's just say that I learned a bunch of things about my past that helped me find my inner potential."

"And you two are… together?" Angel said as he pointed to the two.

"Not like that." Lindsey shook his head. "We're friends. We never had sex."

"Except for that time in Santa Cruiz."

"That was mystically induced. It doesn't count." Lindsey fidgeted slightly.

"Well…" Angel felt lost. He wasn't feeling one hundred percent yet and Fred and Gunn desperately need help. "I was wondering if you two have a place to stay or are you going to leave LA."

"Not right now. Too many bad demons are running around and the police can't do anything about it." Kate said.

"Then, you two can… stay here for a while." Angel offered, "We have plenty of room and… and… well… we have some openings."

"Well, we need a place to stay but do you trust me even despite all that you been through?" Lindsey asked as he wondered if Angel was still missing a few screws.

"Oh no. I still don't trust you but I know that I can't fully trust you. So, I feel comfortable around you."

"What about me?" Kate asked, "Do you trust me or not trust me enough to feel safe around."

"I trust you as much as I trust anyone else."

"Which is next to none."

"That doesn't matter. I was…" Angel felt dizzy again. All that talking with the unnecessary breathing was wearing him out again. "Yes or no?"

"We'll stay but we're not working for you. We will work as independent contractors who get paid on a job to job basis." Lindsey reached into his pocket and unfolded a contract. "Here's our contract."

Angel stared at the contract. He could barely think and this contract was filled with legalese that he couldn't understand even when he was at full strength. "Once a lawyer always a lawyer. I can't understand a word of this."

"Just a basic work contract. We work for you. You pay us every time we help you. If there's anything that we don't want to do, we won't do it. Simple as that." Kate said, "We have all of our clients sign this. Makes it easier for us to get their money. We all sign this."

"Fine." Angel got a pen and signed. He wasn't in the mood to deal with translating this contract.

XXX

He was cold and hungry. Conner couldn't believe that Lindsey had betrayed him or that Angel actually let him live. True, Angel did toss him out but he didn't toss him out physically. He spent the past few hours sitting, trying to think of where to go and what to do. He had some money in his pocket but that was it.

"Hey, Conner."

Conner looked up to see Lindsey standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Lindsey said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"You know that I could kill you. Why did you come alone?"

"Because… you won't kill another human being." Lindsey replied as he sat down beside him.

Conner gritted his teeth. "You lied to me."

"I did not. I really loved your mother, I wanted to change my life, and I really hated Angel."

"Then why did you go and save him!" Conner yelled, "He is a monster! He killed thousands of people and he abandoned me!"

"Monsters don't say 'I love you' to the ones who had tried to kill them." Lindsey sighed, "I know what it was like to have a father you hate. My father did things to me. I had five siblings, two of them died by the flu. We were homeless after our father abandoned us so we had to survive on our own. I stole, cheat, and even begged just to live day to day. I learned to sing so I could get more money. That was why I could sing so well. I scrounged up a law degree and was founded by Wolfram and Hart. Wolfram and Hart had influence and after a couple of years, I used that influence to gain my revenge on my father. He 'disappeared' mysteriously." Lindsey laughed, "Now I regret it."

"Why? He deserved punishment."

Lindsey sighed as he looked up at the sky. "After I had my revenge, I felt great for a little bit… but after that, nothing. I was worried about being caught. I was worried that if I work for an organization that could make people disappear, what could they do to me? You must never take revenge too far. Besides, Angel didn't even kill Holtz. Justine did. Will you kill her?"

"No! Yes! I… I don't know. I never planned this far." Conner ran his hands through his hair.

"Your life was about revenge against Angel. You must live beyond that revenge. You were pretty happy back there at the karaoke bar."

"I'm a lousy singer."

"Singing is meant to express, you must sing good if you wanted to be paid." Lindsey said as he pulled out an envelope and handed it to the teenager.

"What's this?"

"A bus ticket, some cash, and an address of a friend of mine. You need to go somewhere to be Conner. To live a life away from this obsession. This friend of mine has fought vampires for a very long time and he's familiar with teenagers. He's even a principal of a high school now. He'll help you find your way but only if you want to."

"How do I know that this guy won't turn on me?"

"Faith. Just give yourself a chance, Conner. Who knows, maybe you can find some happiness."

Conner stared at the envelope. "How do I know that you're not going to use me as a tool for revenge against Angel?"

"Because, I like you. I'm through using other people to get revenge. If I ever to do revenge again, I will do it with my own two hands." He paused and added as he raised his left hand. "Well, own left hand. It's your future, Conner. Your choice." He got up and walked away.

XXX

Lindsey closed the door behind him and saw a shadowy figure sitting in a couch. "Been waiting for me?" The ex-lawyer asked as he turned on the light to see Angel.

"Just thinking, I couldn't sleep lying down. How's Conner?"

"He's fine. He's leaving town for a while, one of my friends is going to take care of him. He's a good guy, hunts vampires and deals with confused teenagers."

"I see. Kate told me that you and Conner bonded." He closed his eyes and rubbed them. "Why does he bond with the ones I hate the most?"

"He trusts humans more than demons. That's a simple reason."

"He hates me. He'll never love me."

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Just give the kid time. With my friend, he'll be fine."

"This friend of yours isn't from Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"I knew him when I was working for them but no. He's a decent guy. He works with troubled kids as a normal job. He won't guide Conner wrong."

Angel frowned as he thought. He didn't want to get Conner out of his sight but the boy would just try to make him 'disappear' or worse. "He better be safe. If it weren't for Kate and the fact that you did help save me, I would be trying to beat the information from you about now. Now, I'm not in the mood for our feud."

"I agree. We're both mature adults who shouldn't fight like this. I'm going to bed. Sleep tight." Lindsey said as he walked away. Angel sighed as he watched Lindsey leave. The ex-lawyer seemed to have changed. All he did was help his friends and family. So far, no signs of revenge showed up and that was a very good sign. Still, he had to be careful.

Unseen by him, which would be impossible since he couldn't see his reflection, his forehead glowed slightly with the words 'I'm gay' written clearly on it.

The End

Conner sat in the bus staring out of the window. This was the first time he had ever been on a bus like this going out of town. Then, he saw the town's welcome sign. It read 'Welcome to Sunnydale'.

Or is it?

Well, that's the end for now. There is a sequel of sorts in the works. I don't know how long this ride will last but enjoy it. Reviews are helpful. Really helpful.