CHAPTER TEN
Connor had barely slept since the tragedy happened but once they had gotten him warmed up, the young father had lapsed into a deep sleep. It was late morning and he showed no signs of waking up. Angel was content to let his child sleep for a day if need be even if Angel knew Connor would be furious about it. Buffy, Giles, and Dawn had gone out early hoping to catch people going to work or school but no one admitted to seeing anyone bearing a resemblance to Gene or Eve.
Angel didn't want to be the one to tell Connor that. It had been a long shot at best. If Gene had actually been spotted on Langdon, chances were he had been merely been walking, probably coming from spying on Angel's home.
"I wish I knew what to do," Angel told Buffy as she came into the living room. He didn't look up from the fireplace that supported him as he studied the photos on the mantle of Connor and Thalia that his daughter in law had given him.
"And I wish I had some way of helping," she said, leaning against the fireplace so she could face him.
"You've already done plenty, Buffy. I can't tell you how much everyone's help means to me. And I know Connor feels the same." Angel reached out to play with a tendril of her hair as it curled over her shoulder. His eyes widened as Buffy flinched away.
"I'm glad I could do something before I have to leave." Her eyes wouldn't meet his and she half turned away.
"Leave?" His voice rasped. "I thought..."
"I do have a life elsewhere, Angel," Buffy reminded him, her voice scalpel-sharp. Her chin came up defiantly. "I'm here on vacation, remember?"
His eyes narrowed trying to shield the emotion radiating from them. "How can you just drop this in my lap and say I'm leaving?"
"Oh that's rich coming from you." Her eyes flashed with cold fire. She poked his chest with a finger. "You knew I'd have to go."
"Go, yes, but you make it sound so final, like you're locking the door behind you," Angel replied, a deep hurt spilling into his voice. "I thought we were going to try to be us again."
Buffy laughed harshly, turning her back on him. "Who are you kidding? There is no us, Angel. Do you think I'm blind?"
"Blind to what?" he asked, feeling the soul inside of him curdling. It slowly hit him, what he should have known all along. "Darla."
"Of course, Darla," Buffy snarled, whipping back around. "Do you think I don't see you're in love with her?"
"I'm not," Angel protested, reaching for her again but Buffy stepped back.
"Of course you are." Her lips skinned back into a mockery of a smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're at the hospital every day."
"Because she's hurt," Angel snapped, his face molding into an angry mask. "Because she's alive again and afraid. And because no matter what, Buffy, no matter who else I love, she'll always be the mother of my child and the grandmother of his baby."
"Angel, you're there every moment you can be," Buffy argued, not ready to believe what he had to say.
"Are you honestly jealous because I'm taking the time to help someone who's in the hospital?" Angel couldn't keep the growl out of his voice. "Buffy, have you ever asked Faith how she felt when no one visited her? She was vaguely aware in that coma. She heard voices and maybe we had no reason to ever visit Faith but being ignored hurt her. Darla's not at fault here. I thought she was dying because of her heart so I didn't want her to be alone for that, and now she's not dying. Someone has to help her become part of this world."
Buffy looked at her feet, her voice dead. "And you appointed yourself her guardian."
"No, actually I was hoping Connor would do it but he's in no shape for that. I wish he were. I'm hoping for Giles' help, too, to set her up with a new life. What should I do? Pretend she doesn't exist?" he asked harshly. He knew it wouldn't help if he lost his temper but he was struggling with his anger.
"You're in love with her," Buffy said, tears in her eyes.
"No, I'm in love with you but did I love Darla once? I try to tell myself no, I didn't but the truth is, I was with her for over a century. As much as our kind can love, we did love and we hated each other, too. And no matter what, I will always know she's the one who killed and condemned me. I will never love her, not like you're thinking." Angel touched Buffy's shoulder and she wept harder. He pulled her to him, holding on tight. Angel stroked her back. "Don't be jealous of the time I spend with her, Buffy. I'd rather be spending it with you but I could never live with myself if I tossed Darla aside and didn't help when I could. She is a part of my life again and a part of my son's. We just have to figure out where we all fit together."
"Why did you let me sleep so long?" Connor raged, stalking into the room. His sudden appearance startled Angel and Buffy apart. Connor paused, seeing Buffy's anguish. "Buffy, are you all right? Has something happened?"
"No." Buffy wiped her face. "Sorry. Personal stuff. It's okay that you got some sleep, Connor. We went to Langdon for you, but we didn't have any luck. I'm so sorry."
Angel was perversely glad he wasn't the one who had to say it. He went over and put a hand on Connor's shoulders, seeing the defeat in his son's eyes. "We aren't giving up."
Connor shook him off. "Did you get inside the apartments, Buffy? Did you look around inside?"
Her face softened. "No, for the most part they wouldn't let us in. We had a picture Dawn stole from the police files online, and she found some old Wolfram and Hart files still floating around so we had a picture of Eve, too. No one recognized them from the pictures," Buffy said. "The warehouse Spike and Illyria looked at was recently emptied so it's possible...maybe the Dawl has pulled up stakes here."
"Thank you," he said softly, going for the phone. Connor made a call. "Scott, you want to help me do some surprise fire safety inspections on apartments on Langdon? I'll explain why later...thanks, buddy. I owe you big time...get the paperwork and I'll meet you there."
"Connor, what are you doing?" Angel shot him a suspicious look.
"Getting into those buildings to look around," Connor said bluntly, his eyes boring into his father's. "It's legal...more or less. We do fire alarm, smoke detector and fire extinguisher inspections all the time. An anonymous tip about things not being up to code came in..." he trailed off, thinking about the lie he was about to weave. "If Eve and Gene are at all good at hiding, the people Buffy talked to might never have seen them."
"Just be careful, son and keep us apprised," Angel said, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop Connor. "It's a good idea."
Connor nodded then looked between Angel and Buffy before heading for the door. He paused. "If it makes a difference, Buffy, she doesn't want him back either. Mom said the only good thing they ever did together was me and chances are together they'd find a way to mess that up." Connor didn't wait for a response.
Angel met Buffy's eyes but said nothing.
"I want to believe you, Angel."
"Then do," he said simply. "I've done a lot of things to you in the past Buffy. Cheating wasn't one of them."
Buffy wet her lips, considering that. "I'll try not to be jealous."
"Thank you." Angel leaned down to kiss her. "I know this is hard on you, Buffy and it'll get harder."
She looked at him curiously. "How?"
Angel turned his face. "The hospital wants to discharge Darla into my care or Connor's. I think it would be good for Connor and Darla to have that time together."
"But he's not even sure he can go home ever," she reminded him.
"Hence the problem. I won't put Darla out on the street, Buffy," Angel said plainly. "If Connor can't go home with her then maybe Spike and Illyria will put her up for a while."
"Which will be disastrous," Buffy finished his thought. "And then she comes here."
"If it comes to it...I'll try to make other arrangements," he said, looking uncomfortable.
"We'll worry about it later." Buffy embraced him, resting her head on his chest. "Maybe by then the baby will be found and this will all be over. Maybe now's the time for me to learn to be a grown up about this. Only, grownups get jealous, too."
"It's hard to control how we feel, Buffy. The challenge is to not let it dictate our lives. I let it do that in the past and it cost me my son for a very long time," Angel said sadly. He ran a finger along the line of her jaw. "I don't want to see it cost us each other just when we're getting another chance."
Buffy tightened her grip. "I'll do my best. Angel, I'm going to head over to Langdon. I won't stop Connor going into those buildings but someone ought to be close in case he loses it. Scott alone isn't going to be able to stop Connor."
Angel kissed her forehead. "Thank you. Call me if anything shakes loose, not that I can do anything to help," he said bitterly, casting a baleful eye at the autumn sun. Why couldn't it have kept snowing?
"Of course."
X X X
"Thanks for meeting me," Connor said, clipping his i.d. onto his jacket.
Scott eyed his friend dubiously. "You look awful. Not that I expected you to look good given the circumstances."
"I look good compared to yesterday. Got some sleep." Connor let out a deep breath, watching it crystalize in the cold air.
"I know you didn't call me at the station to ask me to bend the law after the snowiest damn day just because you need to do something to take your mind off things, Connor. Want to let me in on it?" Scott asked, stomping his feet to shake off the snow. The sidewalks were shoveled but it was necessary to wade through mounds of snow to get to them.
"There's been a report that the man who took my son might be in one of these apartments. I don't know which one and a sighting isn't enough for the police to get a search warrant. We're allowed to do spot inspections but if you're worried about risking your job, you don't have to do this, just give me the paperwork and I'll do it," Connor said, giving his friend an out. He didn't want to get Scott into trouble.
Scott tugged on his ski cap. "I logged it as an anonymous call about violations in an apartment on Langdon but the caller hung up before telling us which one so we'll have leeway there. I'm helping. How could I not?"
Connor sighed grateful beyond words. "Thank you. Too bad I didn't think to tell you to log the call as dangerous stuff improperly stored in the basement so we can go down there."
"We'll amend it later if we can." Scott clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Where do you want to start?"
"At the end closest to Wisconsin Avenue and we can work westward," Connor said, finally feeling in control for the first time since his family was taken from him.
He didn't let one dead end after another deter him either. He and Scott worked efficiently, taking the buildings from top to bottom, actually filling out the paperwork as they went. For the most part the apartment owners weren't too unhappy to see them, probably hoping for money off their insurance with a fresh okay from the fire department. However, they found nothing encouraging as far as finding his son. Connor knew he'd be able to pick up on his son's scent easily but he couldn't smell anything that even hinted Stephen had been in the buildings. Connor was less certain of Eve and Gene's scent but nothing even put him in mind of them.
He and Scott said little as they worked. The day seemed to get colder or maybe something was starting to die in him again. Hope was worse than fear, Connor was coming to realize. He could be broken on the altar of hope if he wasn't careful. Scott was beginning to look at him as if maybe Connor was having a nervous breakdown and had imagined Gene being in the area. Connor half expected his friend to put a halt to this soon.
"This one's strange," Scott said looking up at a rather ugly building. That was the eclectic nature of downtown Madison, some of the buildings were old turn of the century works of art with pretty ginger breading and look at me paint jobs and others were simple square boxes with all the charm of rained-on cardboard. This building was off the second type and every last window was wall papered over with something or had dark heavy curtains drawn."
Not an ounce of light would get into the place and Connor wondered if maybe it was a vampire nest. That would be the last thing he needed to drag Scott into. At a quick glance, which is about all anyone walking down the street would give it, it looked like all the other college apartments until it was really studied. None of the other places had every window blacked out. There was a no vacancy sign tacked onto the apartment complex's name sign. "Yeah, it is. Let me go in first."
Connor wished he had brought along a stake. The place was empty with the exception of one older woman in what looked like the rental office. She gave them a hostile look. Connor glanced back at Scott who had been doing all the talking since he was the one who was legally on duty.
"What do you want?" she asked snippily, a little Yorkshire terrier of a woman.
As Scott explained what they wanted to do, Connor faded away to see if he could find the basement entrance. To his surprise, the woman was yapping at Scott, telling him that she was not about to allow an inspection. Connor tried the door but it was locked. He thought he heard a baby's cry but it wasn't repeated. He was about to kick it in, consequences be damned when the woman tore out of the office, screeching at him to get away from the door.
"Get out of here, both of you before I call the police!" she screamed, her lined face going livid.
"Come on, Connor," Scott said. "And don't be surprised if we're the ones calling the police, ma'am," he added to the red-faced woman.
Connor reluctantly followed Scott out. He couldn't risk putting his friend in trouble by taking down the door with a witness standing there. Before he could think of working out what their next move was going to be, Connor crashed into a woman on the sidewalk. When he caught her to keep her from falling, he saw it was Detective Danforth.
"Do I even want to know what you're doing here?" she asked him as she gathered herself together.
"Uh...fire safety inspections," Scott offered, holding up his clipboard.
Danforth shot him a look of disbelief then turned back to Connor. "Did you find him?"
Connor shook his head. "We were just thrown out of there. They wouldn't let us do the inspection and the basement is locked."
"They're not allowed to deny the inspection," Scott added.
Danforth pursed her lips. "I'm tempted to ignore the fact that you're really interfering with a police investigation, especially since I don't have enough to get a warrant to search any of these buildings. However, what they just did, denying you the right to do the inspection...can that get us inside?"
Connor nodded. "We'd need to get the proper paperwork but yes, we can get in there."
"Then we'd better get moving, get back to our offices and get that paperwork," Danforth said. "The sooner we do that the better. And I do mean all of us." She leveled a hard look at Connor.
"I'm not leaving," Connor said, having no intentions of leaving here, not even in hand cuffs. "They might know we're on to them."
"If this is even them," Danforth reminded him. "It could have been they just have too many fire code violations and panicked."
"Even so, I'm watching the door. I won't go in," Connor said, earnestly, crossing his arms over his chest, in a move that was so much like Angel's Connor would go apoplectic if someone pointed it out.
"I can't leave you here and you know it," Danforth said, looking reluctant to confront him.
"It won't be necessary, Detective."
Connor spun around. Buffy stood there, downwind from him. She came over and took his hand. "Buffy?"
"I'll take him home," Buffy said to Danforth. "He won't be causing any trouble.'
Connor started to open his mouth but Buffy froze his protest with a look. He was being an idiot. All he needed to do was make Danforth think he was leaving. "I'll go with her," he said, hoping he sounded sincere.
"Time's wasting," Scott said. "Buffy will make sure Connor gets home safe."
"She'd better or she might find herself considering why she didn't down take you home while she's sitting at the station," Danforth said but she went off with Scott.
Connor let Buffy lead him away because Danforth was looking. They kept walking until they were sure Danforth was on her way with Scott. He stopped and squeezed her hand. "You were spying on me."
"And I'm glad I did. Now, I only caught part of it. You think Stephen is in that apartment?" Buffy turned him around and headed back.
"I don't know. Something's definitely wrong there. I thought maybe..." Connor shook his head. "The basement door might be locked because a lot of these places have a locked basement after girls have been raped doing the laundry. I might have heard a mom and her baby doing laundry for all I know."
"We'll make sure. You go in first, see if you can do the fireman thing," Buffy said.
Connor tried but the woman was waiting in the lobby.
"Get out!" she ordered. "I'm not fooling around. I'm calling the cops."
Buffy moved up behind Connor before he could inform the lady that she'd be the one going to jail if she kept obstructing. "Hi, I was wondering if I could look at one of the units. This would be so convenient to school and work," she bubbled.
The woman glared. "Can't you read? No vacancies. Get out before the cops haul you off, too."
"But I really like this place," Buffy protested, trying to get further into the building.
The woman brandished a cell phone. Connor grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her out.
"I don't want to deal with the cops. I'll watch the front entrance," he said.
"I'll take the back. Oh, good, standing up to my butt in snow," she groused.
"Next time I'll move to Vegas for you." He smirked, feeling better for just a nanosecond.
"Then I'd sun burn." She smiled, kissing his cheek. "They won't get passed us, Connor."
"I know," he said grimly and moved out of easy sight of the harpy in the lobby.
X X X
Buffy was glad she had gotten to Connor when she had. He looked ready to lose it on Danforth which would not have helped anyone. It frustrated her that she couldn't just kick down the door and go inside. What if they were hurting his baby in there? What if it was a perfectly normal apartment building with a bitch for a front desk person?
She tucked her cold hands up under her armpits. Even her gloves didn't seem to be cutting the wind that blew hard off the lakes, making the snow swirl and dance. Buffy hoped Danforth would get back with a warrant soon before she froze to death. At least sun down wasn't far off. It was probably gray enough for Angel and Spike to make an appearance now.
A clicking noise behind her got Buffy moving. She had heard the sound in the past, the cocking back of a hammer. The bullet winged past her arm so hot, she thought it had hit her. She wasn't entirely sure if hadn't. Buffy rolled in the snow, getting to her feet in an explosion of white. It didn't seem to distract Gene. He took aim at her expertly. Gun fights were so unfair. She couldn't outrun a bullet.
"So we were right," she said, hoping to at least distract him a little.
"And so you die for it," he said then jerked to the side as Connor slammed into him.
Buffy hadn't even seen Connor cutting between the buildings. She knew how quick he could move but even she hadn't seen him go that fast. Gene didn't have time to even try and protect himself. Connor's fists reduced the man to a pulp before Buffy's eyes until she pulled him off. Connor hit her with an elbow and she knocked him down, not sure if it was intentional or not. "You'll kill him!"
"You think I fucking care? He murdered my wife, stole my child, raped my mother. He deserves to die," Connor raged, his face infused with blood.
Buffy scooped up the gun, seeing blood all over the snow. Gene wasn't getting back up. "And what happens to your son if you go to jail for killing Gene? He's not worth it."
Connor looked up at her with big tear-filled eyes. He picked himself up from the snow and kicked Gene. "Is my baby in that apartment?"
"Connor, he's unconscious," Buffy said, dialing Danforth's number on her cell.
"He has to tell me." Connor wept, realizing what he had done. If he had beaten Gene into a coma, he might never get his answers. He looked at Buffy. "Your arm's bleeding."
"Damn, I thought he missed me." Buffy looked at the wound. It was shallow. "And no one's watching the front of the building, Connor. He's not getting away. I promise you that."
"The front...damn it," Connor started running for the front.
Buffy heard him cursing and heard wheels on the slick asphalt. She cast a glance at Gene and figured he wasn't moving so she tore after Connor. She saw him racing down the street after a cab but he slipped on the icy road, and she was surprised when he didn't go under the wheels of oncoming traffic. Knowing he'd be back, she ran back to make sure Gene didn't come to and take off.
Connor came back to her and flopped in the snow. Flecks of red spotted the snow from his bloody knuckles, and she could see blood soaking through the pale blue denim of his jeans. He just wept silently. Buffy sat in the snow next to him.
"You're hurt."
"I don't care. Eve got into a cab." His face crumbled. "If I hadn't left the front..."
"I might be dead. He was going to shoot me so thank you," Buffy said, putting an arm around him. "Did she have the baby with her?
Connor shook his head. "Just a suitcase."
"Then he might be inside the apartment. Danforth is sending a unit and she's coming back," Buffy said. "How bad did you tear up your legs when you fell?"
He shrugged, his eyes going glassy and far away like a china doll's. He didn't answer. Buffy couldn't hike his jeans up far enough to see the damage but she knew that Connor, like her, would heal fast enough. All they had to do was wait for the police. She put in another call to Danforth to tell her that Eve had made it into a cab. They didn't have long to wait for the police. Connor maintained his doll eyes while the police supervised the paramedics loading Gene into an ambulance while Scott and Danforth went into the building. Several police men went with them, one of them bringing out the harpy. Danforth and Scott came back out fast. Scott's face looked like a tragedy mask.
"Is the baby..." Buffy trailed off.
"Not there," Scott said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"But a lot of evidence he has been," Danforth said and Connor jumped up.
"I have to get in there," Connor said, quivering.
"And you know I can't let you. CSU needs to go over the whole building," Danforth said. "And we need to talk about the assault."
"Gene was going to shoot me," Buffy offered, looping several fingers in Connor's belt loops and pulled him back down. His wounded legs went out, and he sat down hard. "If Connor hadn't stopped him, I'd be dead. He shot me once already." Buffy pointed to her bloody arm.
"I lost control," Connor whispered, trembling.
"That's an understatement," Danforth said then turned to Buffy. "We have other paramedics coming to look at your injuries. Tell me what happened."
Buffy explained to a very unsurprised Danforth about how she and Connor had disobeyed and had come back to the apartment to stake it out. She outlined how Gene had shot her and what happened afterward. She saw Angel, Spike and Illyria coming toward them as she spoke, the vampires unafraid that the last strains of the setting sun might break through the gloom.
"I could arrest you right now, Mr. Reilly," Danforth said. "But since you were acting to protect Ms. Summers and I think the D.A. will stress how it's not in Mr. Becker's best interests to prosecute, I'm not. You're not a flight risk. If things change, I know where to find you."
"I won't run," Connor promised her as the paramedics arrived. Connor waved them off. "I just skinned my knees. Check Buffy. She was shot."
Buffy beckoned to Angel first and whispered something to him. He took Danforth aside. Buffy watched Connor's face as she tried unsuccessfully to shoo off the paramedics. She knew he was trying to listen to what Angel and Danforth were talking about. After she refused to go to the hospital, she let the paramedics wrap up her arm, watching Connor's agitation growing. Scott tried to calm his friend down. From Angel's face, Buffy knew he didn't like what Danforth was telling him.
"Did they hurt my baby?" Connor finally asked Scott quietly.
"I don't know, Connor. There's a lab in the basement," Scott said. "There were blood draw tubes but we won't know if they're from the baby...and that doesn't mean they've hurt him," he added hurriedly hearing Connor's anguished moan.
A phone ringing distracted them for a second as Danforth answered it. Her expression brightened. She waved over a patrolman. "A cabbie says he picked up a woman bearing Eve's description and dropped her off at the airport," she said to get the patrolman moving then realized Connor heard her since he was back on his feet in a flash, ignoring his pain. "Stay out of it," she cautioned then got in her own car.
Connor took off toward Angel's home. The group chased after him, Scott included. Connor stopped, taking hold of his friend's arm. "Scott, thank you for all your help. You can't do more. Go home before..."
"Before you get me arrested?" Scott smirked. "Okay, but you don't do anything stupid, Connor."
"We'll make sure he doesn't," Angel said as Connor took off running again with a limp.
Scott dropped out of the pack. Buffy paced Connor. "She will arrest you if you show up at the airport."
"I'm not going to the airport exactly. Eve has to have the baby with her or is going to get him. She's too invested not too. I don't think she's going to fly. I think she's going to get a rental car," Connor said. "Dad, you have to get us there."
"I will but you're still bleeding," Angel fretted, eyeing his son's torn limbs.
"Fuck that. Get me some gauze and new pants. I'll fix myself up in the car," Connor said in a tone that said nothing was changing his mind.
No one argued with him. They all sensed this was their last, best chance.