Conner sat in the office tied to a chair with Fred standing over him, tazer in hand. Cordelia couldn't even bare to see Conner right now with what he had done to the man she loved and his father so she stayed in the lobby listening to Fred yell at him, "You think that's what Angel felt? When you did it to him? Did he scream like you?"
Conner played dumb, "Why are you doing this?"
Gunn stepped in, "Nah-ah. Don't even try it."
Fred smiled, "We got a call from an old friend tonight."
Gunn spoke again, "Been playing a little ahab. He's out there right now puttering around on his boat.
Fred continued it, "With Angel."
Conner stayed quiet as Gunn rubbed it in his face, "That's right Sparky, daddy's coming home. And I'm guessing there's going to be a spanking."
Fred finally got a little hysterical which increased Cordy's already falling tears, "He's been down there all summer, all alone - and you knew! How could you do that to us?" She walked closer to Conner with the tazer outstretched and her hand shaking a little bit. "We took you into our home. We cared for you, and all this time... How could you do that!"When Conner only looked at her in silence she buried the tazer in his chest. He leaned back screaming as Fred still continued to talk, "How could you do that!"
Gunn finally calmed her down, "Fred!" He pulled her back so she could bury her head against his shoulder. In no time she started to cry!
Fred walked out of the office to sit in the chair. Gunn followed and leaned beside her to rub her back for comfort. Cordy though finally stood and walked to the door. She nodded to Fred and walked through te office door closing it behind her. Conner smiled up at her, "Go ahead, hurt me some more."
Cordelia shook her head, "Shut up!"
Conner shrugged ignoring her, "You think I care? You get used to it."
Cordy shook her head, "You don't feel anything, do you? There's nothing inside!"
Conner smiled, "Gotta open me to find out."
Cordelia changed subjects, "How could you do that to your father?"
"That thing is not my father."
Cordy nodded, "Yes, he is!"
Conner ignored it all, "He got what he deserved."
"How soon before we deserved it Conner?" He sat silent so Cordy continued. "Come on Conner, how long? I mean your whole stay here did you even like us? We cared for you, raised you and all you did was fake it all. I have a light inside me that shows the good in people Conner and you have some but until you know the facts you have no right to pass judgement on people like that especially your father."
Conner smiled, "Are you mad because I did it or are you mad because you didn't get to tell him you loved him?"
Cordy had enough and couldn't help but back handing him. She didn't apologize as she spoke, "I really wish there was someone in this world who could teach you just who you're talking about. Until then you're goin to stay tied to this chair and wait for you dear old dad to deal with you. I hope it was all worth it Conner because being that heartless comes with a price."
Cordy didn't wait for an answer as she stomped out of the room. Fred was about to speak to her but the lobby doors opened. They all ran to the doors to meet their second surprise of the night, Angel draped over Buffy of all people for support and walking help. Wesley staggered in a little bit dizzy but still in reality. Buffy rushed to walk him to a couch which he easily slid onto.
Cordy didn't know wheather to feel unbelieveably thankful or extremely jealous as she spoke, "Buffy Summer's back in L.A."
Buffy looked up to her when she was done with Angel, "Cordelia Chase, actually wearing something not designer."
Cordelia fake smiled and they walked for a small fake hug. When they seperated Wesley adressed them all, "We don't have time for introductories now."
Gunn looked down at Angel, "He's pretty out of it." He then looked up at Wesley, "So are you."
Wesley nodded, "Yeah well get a lot of blood drained you get a little loopey."
Cordy looked clueless, "He drank your blood?"
Buffy filled them in, "Craving for blood is really high right now. He's not even nearly close to be okay right now and Wesley's pretty drained."
Angel looks up at fred but his eyes close again shortly after. Wes starts backing away to the door. Fred started to worry, "Where are you going?"
Wes stops and turns back, "I'm done here."
Gunn finally spoke, "What took you so long to tell us about Conner?"
Wes shrugged, "You're human. He wouldn't have hurt you. I thought you were safer not knowing."
Fred shook her head, "Safer? You really don't care anymore do you?"
Wes just turns to walk out the door but Buffy stands up, "You're going to stay." Wesley was about to object but Buffy stopped him, "You don't look well enough to drive, you can barely stand, and plus we might be hospital buddies. He looks like he's going to need something stronger."
Wesley nodded and walked back to the group. He winked at Buffy and looked at Gunn, "He's going to need a few more blankets. Water get's cold, even for a vampire."
Gunn nodded but as he was about to go the sound of a chair toppling over came form the office. Everyone but Buffy and Wesley went to go check it out knowing what Angel needed and could do. As they entered Conner expected it. He tossed Gunn aside, used Fred's tazer against her and threw Cordy into the desk. Conner was about to leave only to find Angel standing in the doorway.
It seemed as if Angel was all of a sudden 10 times stronger then before, "Sit down!"
Conner backs up a little never taking his eyes off Angel, "You're too weak to take me."
"You really think that?"
Connor looked at Angel for another moment. He then turned, picked up a chair, slammed it down and sat on it facing Angel. Gunn began to stir and sit up. Angel lowered himself into a chair across from Connor with a slight sigh. "So, how was your summer? Mine was fun. Saw some fish. Went mad with hunger. Hallucinated a whole bunch."
Gunn quietly helped Fred back to her feet. Connor's eyes never left Angel's. "You deserved worse."
Angel nodded, "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 got your buddy Justine to do it with an ice pick just to make you hate me."
Conner paused before speaking, "Even if - you still deserved it."
Angel nodded again, "What I deserve is open to debate, but understand there is a difference between wishing vengeance on someone and taking it. So now the questions becomes: What do you deserve?"
Connor suddenly jumped up from his chair and ran for the door. Buffy who was standing at the door tossed him against the wall. Conner actually had to resisit smiling at this woman because Angel did half smile before going back to the face full of anger.
He stared back to Conner, "Daddy's not finished talking." He crouched down next to Conner who was scrunched up against the wall now, "Wesley told me everything that's been going on."
Conner shrugged, "You're going to believe him over me?"
Angel shrugged, "Good question, I asked myself that a few times. My answer is standing in the doorway." He stared at buffy for a few seconds before talking to Conner again, "She'd only be here if something was really wrong and since whatever is wrong brought her to Wesley it means he knows something."
Conner looked up at Buffy, "Who is she?"
Angel did quick intros hoping not to reveal Conner was his son, "Conner this is Buffy, Buffy this is Conner."
Conner smiled, "What kind of a name is Buffy?"
Buffy clenched her fists and Angel smiled knowing how much that questions pissed her off. He looked down to Conner, "You should watch what you say to her Conner. See Buffy has a temper and with how mad you already made her I wouldn't want to make it worse."
Conner shrugged, "I can take her, she's just a girl."
Angel laughed again as Gunn had to restrain her and turned back to Conner, "You see Conner, Buffy's a slayer. Probably haven't heard of them because there's only two and right now she could take you in two seconds."
Conner stopped smiling and started believing by the look of anger in Buffy's eyes. He stared up to Angel, "So what happens?"
Angel shrugged, "Punishment. We're going to find out just what you deserve. So, as far as I'm concerned what you deserve rests on one answer." He leans closer to his son, "Would you have done something to these people?"
Without hesitation Conner answered a simple, "No."
Angel stared him in the eyes, "You're lying."
Gunn nodded, "He just needed a little more time."
Conner shook his head until Buffy spoke, "He's telling the truth. This wasn't about vengence Conner this was about hatred and forgiveness."
Conner shook his head and actually stood up, "What would you know about any of those two things?"
Buffy smiled, "You're looking at a girl who's had to deal with those two things every day of my god damn life and never once did I kill someone I loved." Angel glared at her and she corrected herself, "Well I did but that was to save the world. My point is you have issues and you have to deal with them and something I've learned very recently is you can't deal only using violence. I know you're standing there and regretting every minute you faked an every day life with your fake family because you're not heartless. You have a brain and you have a heart...You just have to realize how to use them."
Conner actually let down a small guard, "How did you learn how to use them?"
Buffy looked down, "I haven't yet but I'm really trying and you're not going to go anywhere until you start trying."
"So how do I start trying?"
Angel finally pipped in with a painful groan obviously losing a lot of energy, "You deal with the consequences."
Conner staredback at Angel, "So what are they?"
Angel started his long speech, "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 couple months under the ocean actually gave me perspective." Buffy glared at him with hurt in her eyes which he replied back with an apologetic look continuing his speech, "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 was what it should be, to show it what it can be. - You're not a part of that yet. - I hope you will be." He moved to stand in front of Conner now, "I love you, Connor." He paused for a few seconds, "Now get out of my house."
After a few seconds Conner starts to walk out stopping in front of Buffy. He looked into her eyes, "If I try you need to try harder because with the sadness lingering in your eyes something's not going right."
Buffy glared down at him and mouthed the words, "Where we first met. Tomorrow at 10:00pm."
Conner then took off. When he was gone Angel sighed and started to sway on his feet. He fell over landing in Cordelia's arms. He actually stared up into her eyes and smiled for a few seconds. Buffy had to look away, look anywhere but there. So she looked at Wesley, "Looks like he used all the energy from the blood you gave him."
Wesley nodded, "He's going to need something stronger."
Buffy and Wesley stared at each other knowing what was going to have to happen. After a few seconds Buffy yelled to Cordy without looking back, "Get him to the Lobby, I know he's going to fight me on this."
Cordy nodded and with the help of Gunn and Fred the lifted him into the main room. He was sat up on the couch when Wesley and Buffy walked in. He was warning her, "This is highly dangerous Buffy."
Buffy smiled, "There's good old watcher Wes I used to know." Wesley smiled but was still worried, "Look Wes I've done this before and I..."
Cordelia piped in knowing what they were talking about, "You were hospitalized, the mayor almost killed you in the hospital and Angel moped for weeks and weeks and was still moping when I met him here in L.A."
Angel groaned, "I can still somewhat hear you."
Buffy looked at both of them completely resolved, "It's the only way he's going to get better. He needs to be in this fight guys and I have to make sure it happens. I'll be fine, I promise."
Cordy and Wes nodded and Fred finally spoke, "What's she going to do?"
Cordelia walked back answering her question, "She's going to feed Angel again."
It took Angel a minute or two to stand and then he spoke to everyone, "I'm fine, really." He stumbled over the table landing right by Buffy's feet. She knelt down beside him, "I swear to god Angel don't be so stubborn now. Not now."
Angel shook his head trying to stand again. Buffy helped him so they were both standing eye to eye. She put on a stern face and called to Wesley, "Throw me a knife." Wesley tossed her his knife and Buffy quickly cut a small gash above his old scar. Angel eyed it intensely but still resisited. Buffy shook her head and hit him. Cordelia was going to stop her but Wesley held her back. Buffy hit Angel again but he still came back in human form. Buffy shook her head, "Are you really going to make me do it a third time?"
Angel nodded and mumbled, "I can't do this again."
Buffy sighed almost teary as she hit him a third time. Just like before he was wearing his vamp features. He still wouldn't budge though. Buffy grabbed him behind the neck and bent her head to the side revealing the dripping blood, "You emember how it tasted Angel, what it felt like to have it flow through your veins, The crunch as your teeth sunk into my neck and how satisfying it was for your hunger. You wanted me, now you need me... so take me."
With that and because of Buffy hands Angel's teeth were in her neck yet again...