Balance chp 6: Possession

The slayers and co. had found another load of vampires, but were having a little more trouble, as this group was bigger. Angel ducked a blow and then staked the vampire. Connor was fighting three on his own but they were good fighters and he was struggling, Angel quickly went to help and dusted one while Connor used the others momentary surprise to stake them. He grinned at his dad, then suddenly his face contorted in pain and he placed a hand over his heart. His legs gave way and Angel caught him, he watched wide-eyed as Connor began to glow! Then from Connor a wave of light shot out and as it hit the vampires, they dusted. Then it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared and the group was left confused. Angel stared at Connor who was shaking in his arms.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Spike slowly,

"Connor!" exclaimed Fred rushing over, they all looked to see him struggling to stand up and realised he was the one who had done it.

"How did you do that?" asked Wesley coming up to him. Connor however seemed to been in some kind of horrified shock. He looked at Angel and his eyes were filled with terror.

"Connor that was so cool!" said Angel thinking Connor was upset by what he had just done. Just then his cell phone rang. He answered it

"Angel!" he listened for a moment and his face became confused and worried, "Lorne, Lorne, slow down! Now what happened? Oh god, no! Ok, ok we're on our way! Just hang on!" he hung up and looked at Connor who was going pale.

"Angel, what's wrong?" asked Buffy coming up to him.

"Something attacked Calista, shot an arrow into her stomach, Lorne says her pulse is fading…" Connor didn't wait to hear anymore he just turned and ran faster then he ever had back the way he came scaling a drainpipe to the roof and running over them back to the hotel.

"Connor!" called Gunn

"No let him, we have to go, c'mon!" said Angel, running back down the street, the others at his heels. When they reached the hotel they found Lorne waiting outside for them.

"Oh thank God you are here!" he exclaimed

"Connor?" asked Angel

"He's in there, he just came in and held her, not saying anything!" Lorne turned and hurried inside, Angel hot on his heels. They came in and Angel wanted to cry at the scene he saw before him. His son was kneeling on the ground, holding Calista who wasn't moving, an arrow lay near them, with blood on it, Connor must have pulled it out. Connor didn't look up as they filed in, he just held her.

"Oh God!" whispered Buffy. Suddenly Calista stirred and her eyes opened, she looked at Connor

"Daddy! It hurts!" she whimpered in a small child like voice.

"I know it does." said Connor calmly, "but you'll be alright." She nodded

"Mommy's making everything all better, but she's scared! We don't like it when she's scared!"

"Neither do I."

"Daddy's never scared." Connor didn't answer. Angel suddenly realised, the babies were talking through Calista! "But daddy's angry, why?"

"Because someone tried to hurt you." replied Connor

"Why did they do that?"

"I don't know but I promise I'll find out."

"Thank you daddy, you always protect us don't you, even if it means losing us."

"What do you mean?"

"When Cordelia glowed, you blocked out all of your memories of mommy, so Cordelia wouldn't find us, you didn't trust her, because you thought she would tell Angelus and he would hurt mommy."

"Yeah that's right."

"Do you remember when you did remember us and then Cordelia attacked you with a spell and made you forget again?"

"I do now."

"Daddy, you will find who wants to hurt us, but you won't understand. Daddy won't ever understand," she took his hand, "until he finds out."

"Finds out what?"

"What we are! You, mommy, us! Only then will you understand."

"How do I find out?" asked Connor, sounding a little desperate. She closed her eyes and then opened them again and shook her head sadly

"We don't know. They will call for you when you are ready." Connor nodded and kissed her brow.

"Go to sleep, when you wake up everything will be better."

"We know, will daddy always make things better?"

"I will, promise!" he whispered, as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


Calista was lying on the ground still an hour later, and Connor was sitting in one of the chairs in Wesley's office, too lost in thought to talk.

"From what we can tell, the babies took possession of Calista. How or why we don't know, but…" Wesley trailed off unsure of what he was going to say.

"Well, Calista seems to be ok, her wound is healing itself, how that's happening I have no idea but she does seem to be better, I still think we should move her." said Fred coming in.

"If Connor didn't do that then there must have been a good reason, we leave her until she wakes up or Connor says it's ok." said Angel

"If he ever talks again." muttered Spike kneeling beside Connor, Angel shot him and annoyed look, so he said loudly, "I'm sorry but am I the only one who's concerned over the fact that this kid hasn't moved or said anything for over an hour?" they all looked at him and to prove his point he waved his hand in front of Connor's face. After a few times it seemed like Connor didn't even notice it and Spike looked at Angel with a smirk when Connor's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist in such a tight grip that Spike actually yelled in pain. Angel could help but smirk at his grandchilde, who glared right back.

"You have no idea how annoying that was!" said Connor, in a deadly quiet tone. Spike didn't know it but most creatures that heard that tone never saw another sunrise.

"Uh could you let go please?" said Spike delicately, slowly Connor loosened his grip and Spike pulled his hand away, wincing in pain as he shook it to get feeling back.

"The babies didn't possess Calista, they just held control as she focused on healing the wound." said Connor quietly looking at Angel.

"What do you mean?"

"She needed to completely focus on healing the injury and so needed to pull herself from control and completely concentrate on the healing of the injury." They all still looked confused, "Think of it like a wall, part of it was knocked down and an enemy could get in, you would have put as much effort as possible trying to fix it before the enemy gets in." he sighed tiredly, "That's as good as I can explain it, besides it's not the biggest problem we have. It seems we are on a timer. We only have a certain amount of time to stop Cordelia, because I just realised it's not the babies that can stop her, it's Calista."

"What?" Gunn asked his face scrunching in confusion.

"The babies are a part of it, but only as long as they are a part of her. They give her an extra power boost. But ultimately it's her that can stop Cordelia."

"Wait so the kids aren't the ones who can stop her, Calista is. How does that work?"

"She has some kind of power inside her, but she can't unlock it, she doesn't know how. But I think she can only unlock it as long as she is pregnant, once the babies are born she won't be able to find it."

"How did you realise this?" asked Wesley looking at Calista, Connor stood up and leaned on the doorframe, looking at her too. He seemed to be thinking,

"When I spoke to them, they seemed so small and afraid, vulnerable. It just hit me that it's Calista and not them who has to save the world."

"How did you know it was them and not, like I don't know Calista being delusional?" asked Fred curiously

"I don't know, I just had a gut instinct."

"And the glowing thing you did, which by the way was so cool?"

"Now that I can't explain." Connor then went and knelt beside Calista and touched her forehead. She stirred at his touch and opened her eyes. She smiled softly and he helped her sit up. She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed with relief. Connor hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she smiled softly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'll try!" she said, she knew as well as Connor did that was a promise that she really couldn't keep, of course people will try to harm their children. Connor pulled away and helped her to her feet and helped her to the couch. The harbinger lay dead by the door, no one had bothered to get rid of it. Now Angel went over to it and, kicking it, rolled it over onto its back.

"I know these guys, they're the minions of The First!"

"The what?" asked Gunn, coming over,

"The First evil, where all evil comes from." said Calista tiredly

"You're kidding! You mean evil actually has a source?"

"Not so much a source as a beginning." said Giles, cleaning his glasses.

"These are its minions, harbingers, we've been having trouble with them, The First is trying to eliminate the Slayer line, killing potentials and trying to kill me and Faith." sighed Buffy

"Well looks like they've got a new target!" said Gunn looking at Calista who was looking up at the ceiling, exhaustion covering her fair features. He had to admit he really liked her; she seemed to be the only one who could keep Connor under control, plus she was an intriguing person, innocent yet worldly knowledgeable.

"Lucky me!" she said sarcastically, Connor frowned in worry, but decided to worry after Calista was fully better.

"Maybe you should go upstairs and rest." She looked at him and nodded, he helped her stand up and half carried her up the stairs. He had her lie down and he covered her with the blanket. He sat on the edge of the bed, and stroked her hair, she sighed in contentment.

"Thank you Connor!"

"No problem."

"Could you stay here, please? I just want you near."

"Sure." He climbed carefully over her and lay down beside her, she snuggled into him and closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair, gently. She quickly fell asleep while he couldn't make himself follow her. For hours he just watched her sleep.

"Watch her while you can!" Connor rolled over and his eyes widened as he looked upon Cordelia. Cordelia's beautiful brown eyes that once captivated him, that now had an evil glint in them, were burning with anger, but something else, jealousy?

"Cordelia!" he said standing up, his own eyes narrowing in hate.

"Connor! How can you abandon me? How can you abandon our child?" she asked pitifully, Connor rolled his eyes,

"Easy, I did!" Her eyes narrowed and she said

"For what, some tramp?"

"If she's a tramp then what are you?" smirked Connor, Cordelia wasn't pleased

"You would rather stay with a nobody, then the woman who's carrying your child, who will change the world?"

"If by changing the world you mean destroy it then yeah I would rather stay with Calista. Besides I love her!"

"Love her, you didn't even remember her until yesterday!"

"Because I had to protect her from you!" retorted Connor clenching his fists. "Besides," he said suddenly smirking, "She's prettier then you!" Cordelia snarled and flung her hand out at him. Connor was thrown backward into the wall. Calista woke up and sat up instantly, her eyes fell on Cordelia and her blue eyes darkened.

"Cordelia!" she snarled, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. Connor got to his feet and stood beside her. Both had identical looks of hatred of the woman before them. "What do you want?" Cordelia smirked and extended her arms as if presenting herself.

"I'm here to make Connor take responsibility for what he's done!"

"What I've done?" scorned Connor, "What about what you've done? You killed Lilah, brought the Beast here, blocked out the sun, you, you murdered that family!" he swallowed to keep from getting upset as he thought of that little boy and his teddy, both torn to pieces. Calista placed a hand on her belly and stepped forward,

"There is nothing you can do to make Connor go back to you! He's with me, not you, because we are in love!"

"Oh let me get a bucket so I can throw up!" sneered 'Cordelia'

"You only say that because you don't know love, you can't feel it, because you know nothing could ever love you, because you're a monster, an ugly, selfish, horrible monster." said Connor venomously, Cordelia threw her head back and laughed mockingly

"Well it's about time you grew a brain, honestly you say some sweet things, give you some stupid ideas about happy families and boom you're one whipped kid. Oh! And by the way whenever I called you special, I meant in a brain damaged way. You don't deserved to be loved, you should be locked up and studied like an alien." Connor smiled amusedly

"You know at one time that would have hurt me, but now, well, now I don't really give a crap what you say, and by the way if that thing inside you wants to convince me that's it's my child, whether or not we slept together, then next time don't wear such a tummy revealing top. Someone might see it move!" and before Cordelia could retort they turned and slammed the door in her face.

"Those brats are really starting to bug me!" she muttered bitterly.


Night's Darkness