Daddy Dearest
Chapter 6 "The First Test"
Disclaimer: I own nothing, make absolutely no money from this story, I'm just messing around with the characters I'm borrowing.
A/N I'm so very sorry that I couldn't update sooner, I apologize to all of you who had been reading this, I had lots of troubles with my laptop and lost most of my work since the hard drive had to be changed and that's why I was a little behind with things at school so I had trouble finding time to write. I just hope some of you are still there, and that you like this. I promise to try and bring the next chapter sooner, and in order to compensate the lost time, I did write this very long chapter, hope it works for you. Thank you, and once again, SORRY!
Warnings: Much Angst and some bad Language.
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: If you've gotten to this chapter you must have already realized this is totally AU, so the only spoilers are from the background of season 4, but nothing too big. LOL.
Background: Connor is about to take the first test, and the gang is trying to contact him.
Summary: Will Connor survive the first test?
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
As Connor was opening the door, he felt his heartbeat go higher; he was indeed scared although he would lie about it if ever asked. The so called 'Destroyer' only wondered what was awaiting him. When he finally went though the door, he felt it closed the minute he stepped away and that only made him more anxious.
He looked around him and saw only a deserted place, with nothing more than cold ground and a few rocks. The view couldn't be sadder and Connor wondered what the hell was he supposed to do there, but thought he would soon figure it out. He walked around the place and found nothing that could give him a hint of what the test was about, he was sure he had to prove something, he just didn't know what yet. He continued to move with no particular direction and muttered to himself that maybe this test was only to prove his patience, since nothing had happened yet and even though he didn't have a watch he was sure that at least twenty minutes had elapsed.
"Hello, is anyone here?" Connor threw the question at the air, which was only met with more silence.
"What the hell am I supposed to do here?! Prove that I can be alone in such a sad place?" Connor was letting it all out, as he thought no one was listening. "I can be alone!" He said, not quite believing it himself, if there was one thing he hated was to be lonely.
"There is no need to yell, young boy" A voice finally answered. It was some sort of small creature, with didn't look harmful in the least. Connor almost laughed at it when he saw it.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked.
"There is no reason to be rude either, son" The creature talked like an elder and Connor felt like when he was around adults, always telling him what to do and what not to do.
"Look, I'm here for a freaking test, and if you are not aware of my situation then I suggest you to get lost" Connor answered, with obvious irritation in his voice.
"Oh my boy, I'm not the one that is lost, and I do am aware of your situation, but by being desperate you are not going to gain anything" The small hairy thing told him.
"So you know what do I have to do in order to pass the test and get out of here?" Connor asked, now he knew it would be a smart thing to get answers from the 'thing'.
"Yes I do, but you'll figure it out yourself soon enough. The only thing I have to tell you is that you shouldn't let your impatience overpower you, it is simple if you make it simple, but once you become desperate, then everything becomes hard" Was what the creature answered. Then it turned around, but looked as if it had remembered something else "Oh and one more thing, don't let anything fool you, not everything is what it seems, you should never forget that" That been said, it went away.
"What?! No… wait! We are not done, you have to tell me what the hell I am supposed to accomplish, not just your vague crap…!" Connor yelled, as he was running behind the little elf to try and catch him, but he failed since the little thing disappeared right before his eyes.
"Great… just great! That little shit was the only thing that could tell me what the hell is going on, and it disappears! Is it wonderful?!" Connor yelled with anger, he was starting to get desperate, well, more than he already was. He walked around like he had done a while ago, and explored the place searching for something that might tell him what to do.
After pacing for a long while, he discovered something that was near a rock, it was a dirty piece of paper. One he picked it up, two roads finally appeared; one of them was dusty and rocky, and had a lot of trees that looked like they wouldn't allow anyone near, and the other was slightly more lighted and had a visible end. The first one had a sign that said 'Uncertain road' and the second one was called 'Secure road'. Once Connor stopped wondering what that was about he proceeded to read the piece of paper he had forgotten he had in his hands. All it said was:
"There are several roads in life, some are uncertain some are secure, take the one you can live with, because once the decision is done, you'll have to face anything that the road brings you, and you'll not be able to go back until you have crossed it all."
Connor thought the letter was kind of stupid, since all it said was pretty obvious. His heart was telling him to wait for a while and think things through before choosing a pat, but being the person he is Connor made a quick decision and took the secure road, as he had thought he had had enough uncertainty in his life, to yet take an uncertain road again.
Once the young boy stepped towards the secure road the other one disappeared but before it he got to really see that it wasn't all that bushy and was only a shadowed little path that led to an exit door. He thought that if that was the uncertain road the secure road would be even easier. He realized he was wrong as soon as he turned back to see the one road he had chosen. It was very dark and rocky and he couldn't see anything farther than a couple of feet. And that's when he heard a familiar voice.
"I told you not to pressure, I told you not everything is what it seems Connor" The little creature was looking eye to eye with the kid.
"What do you mean, I made the right choice, secure is always better" Connor answered.
"No my dear boy, secure is not always better, you need to learn to think before you act, and that's the real security, it is something we create, not something we get" The elf told him.
"But…" Connor couldn't think of an appropriate answer "I didn't think…"
"That's right boy, you didn't think, and perhaps this is a good way for you to learn your lesson, to follow your heart, instead of letting yourself be blinded by the appearances" The little creature cut him off before Connor could finish.
"So you mean there is no way out of this road?" Connor felt helpless, he was so disappointed at himself for his decision, since he had always been told by Angel and the gang that very same thing. His father often lectured him about making the right decisions and think before he rushed into something, but well that was back when he came into the hotel and his only plan was to kill Angel, so he didn't see the point of listening to his so called father then, until now. Also while Angel was at the bottom of the ocean, he had had several discussions with Gunn regarding the same thing, he always went after the monsters without thinking, and it often landed the team into more trouble than needed. Now he kind of realized that all those times they had been right, they were just trying to prepare him for situations like this. As Connor kept thinking about his mistakes, the elf spoke again.
"Of course there is a way out of this, but it is more complicated. Connor, there is always a way to make things right, even though we make mistakes, don't forget that ever" The small creature assured him with a smile as he disappeared again.
Connor felt a little relief once he was told that, but was still feeling lost. He kept on walking through the dark path, trying to avoid getting to close to the big old trees that were at the sides.
As he advanced in what he thought was the right direction, he was getting a bad feeling, like he was being followed and something didn't seem right. He just kept on walking and wished for this stupid test to be over.
After what seemed like a really long time Connor still felt something was off and as he went ahead he heard something had stepped on a twitch and had made a cracking noise as it broke it, so there must have been some sort of thing walking behind him.
Connor didn't want to look scared or even let that thing know that he was aware he was being followed, so he kept on walking acting like nothing had happened. He used his superhuman velocity to go behind what was following him and he was shocked to see that it was a wee creature, which he thought was kind of odd since something that size wouldn't have broken the twitch, but against his better judgment he stepped closer to the tiny thing and tried to grab it. Once he was close enough the little creature transformed into a huge monster and it grabbed Connor by the hip and then threw him at a tree. The boy regretted having made yet another mistake for not thinking before acting, and decided he would never do it again, but for the time being he was going to have to kill a monster or two, not that he wasn't eager of getting even with the despiteful thing that had tricked him.
Connor went to get it and punched it hard several times on what looked like its abdomen, but he was only awarded with a powerful punch that almost made him fall. Connor then grabbed a tree branch and he swung it down at the monster's feet to take him off balance and make him fall. Once the monster was on the floor Connor started beating him again, but he suddenly was taken by his ankle and turned upside down by the monster which threw him yet again against a tree.
Connor was now starting to get hurt and knew that he had to think something and fast because this wouldn't last long before the monster made a move to kill him for good. As he thought about it, he decided to attack the creature's head. The boy ran as fast as he could and once he was just behind the monster he jumped over its back and climbed to its head he punched it several times to which the creature growled and finally fell dryly to the ground. Connor took that as an opportunity to look for a pointy stick and when he found it, he ran again and inserted it on the monster's back right though its heart. As soon as he did that, the monster disappeared just like if it had been made of smoke.
Feeling victorious but hurt at the same time, Connor walked to a tree and rested his sore back for a while; he took deep breaths and tried to calm himself down from all the past action. He couldn't believe how things had turned out, and was just praying for the test to be over.
After a couple of minutes of relaxing, the boy decided he needed to continue his journey if he ever wanted to get to the end of the road. He kept on walking and everything was calmed for what seemed like an eternity.
While he was walking he was also thinking about all the things his father and friends had tried to do for him, and how now he kind of understood most of them. He already felt guilty for all the things he made them go through and the fact that they were worried he was going to die, just added more load to his back. He wasn't even sure he would make it alive from the tests, since he didn't know how many of them were and he was sure this should have been the easiest one by far. Joyce had told him that one test was harder than the other and so on, so he seriously doubted he would make it in one piece, but was determined to do so, not just for him but for everyone that cared about him, especially Angel.
Connor was so immersed in his thoughts he didn't even noticed there was a door in his way until he accidentally hit with it. His face was full of happiness as he read the label in it and it said 'Exit'. He carefully touched the knot and opened the door slowly as he didn't want any more surprises just yet.
All he could see was white smoke and he decided to take a chance and cross the portal. Once he did, he found himself in the room he had been in with Joyce, he was safe, he had survived the first test.
He stepped out of the doorframe and quickly closed the door behind him, never wanting to go back to that horrible place again. As he went in the room he saw the figure of his guide and for once he was glad to see it.
"Hi Connor!" Joyce greeted him like nothing had happened. "Did you enjoy your first test?"
"Hell no! It was awful!" Connor looked at her like she was crazy.
"I know; you came back though, so it means you passed it" Joyce told him.
"I guess so…"
"Although I must say that I thought you would have made a better choice back there, when it came to the roads" Joyce explained, looking a little disappointed.
Connor looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes, he still felt guilty about his mistake.
"It's ok, we all make mistakes, and the thing about them is that we must learn from them" The guide lifted his chin as she was talking.
"So that's why…" Connor started.
"Yes, that's why the road ended, because you learned your lesson and that's what it was all about" Joyce smiled.
"It was about me accepting that I should think before acting and not getting carried away by the appearances?"
"Yep, that's it" Joyce chuckled.
"Hmmm… you should have just told me, I could have learned it without all the fuzz" Connor told her a bit irritated.
"I don't think so, since many people have already done that and it took something as radical as this test to make you finally realize about it, don't you think?"
"Ummm…" Connor didn't answer.
"I'll take that as a yes" Joyce laughed.
Connor just stood there, knowing she was right but not yet admitting it.
"Ok, so that one is settled, for now you should rest since you'll have a big day tomorrow too" Joyce told him.
"I guess… How many tests are left?" Connor asked.
"Just one, the most important one… the one you shouldn't fail, if you want to go back to normal"
Connor didn't like the way that sounded but decided he would rest and that tomorrow he'll do his best to pass the final test and get back as soon as possible.
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
Gunn and Fred had come back from the store with the incense they had been asked a while ago, and Angel and the rest of them were just waiting for Wesley to arrive so they could start the spiritual session and finally find out what had really happened with Connor.
As Wesley finally entered though the door Angel walked to him and asked if everything was ready.
"We have everything we need to reach him, Angel" Wesley answered.
"Ok, then let's do it" Angel was more worried than he thought, he really wanted his son back, he needed him, he couldn't bear to lose him one more time.
"We are ready" Gunn told them.
"Ok so then let's clear some space here" Wesley said pointing at the lobby center, where there was some furniture, which everybody moved so they had more space "Now, we should sit on the floor forming a circle" Wesley instructed them and they all did as they were told. Finally he put in the center of the circle a recipient with incense and some species of herbs that he had brought with him.
"We have to hold hands right?" Fred asked fascinated with her new experience.
"Yes Fred, that way our energy and vibrations will converge and we'll be able to make contact" Wesley answered her.
"Alright, we are holding hands and then what?" Gunn asked as impatient as he always was.
"Well, just close your eyes and focus on releasing all your energy, don't think about anything just have your mind totally blank" Wesley told him.
"Are you sure about this Wes?" Angel was nervous; he didn't like to mess with magic, having had too many bad experiences for his liking.
"Of course, just relax and let me do the rest" Wes assured him.
Once everybody had concentrated Wesley started to read several passages from his book and suddenly there was a light coming out of the center of the circle, right where the herbs where placed. Everybody opened their eyes and contemplated the blinding light that appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't let go, or we will lose contact" Wesley warned them, and then turned to face the light himself feeling its power "We are looking for Connor Angel's soul" he spoke to it.
Then they all felt a rush of energy through their bodies, it made it harder to stay together but they all managed to do it, and after that, the light spread even more covering now the entire room and blinding everybody.
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
Connor was soundly asleep as he was so tired from the entire experience he had had that day, but suddenly he felt a force dragging him somewhere and he woke up and stood up and just as he did that, he was brought to the lobby of the hotel and immersed into the center of a blinding light, feeling strong vibes and an energy aura surrounding him. He looked around him, and saw the gang and his father sitting on the floor, forming a circle. He then realized they had called his soul with some sort of spell.
The light returned to its original shape allowing everybody to see Connor's white spirit in the center of it. They were all amazed it had worked, and glad they could finally contact Connor.
"Son!" Angel said, feeling so happy to see his boy again. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am Angel" Connor responded, feeling the urge to assure his father everything would be alright, but not using the word Dad although he wanted to.
"Oh my god, where are you?" Angel had so many questions.
"I'm in a higher plane, I have to face some tests in order to get back" He responded as calmly as he could, since he didn't want them to worry.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Fred interrupted the father-son conversation, since she was worried about the child herself.
"No Fred, this is my challenge, I'm sorry you are worried but I'll try to get back as soon as possible" Connor sounded sincere.
"There's gotta be something we can do!" Angel was exasperated; he didn't want his child to be in danger, not if he could prevent it.
"No, listen I don't have much time, I promise I'll be back, just don't worry, I'll handle it, ok?" Connor was crushed when he heard his father's desperation.
"But Connor…" Angel started.
"Please… trust me, there isn't anything to do, I'll be back soon" Connor assured him.
"Alright, I guess you have to do this on your own, be careful… and once you come back we'll talk, ok?" Angel gave up, understanding that it was his son's battle, and not wanting to upset him even more, he'd have time to do that as soon as his child came back, because they were going to talk seriously about everything, he wasn't going to let him do something to endanger his life ever again.
"Thanks, I'll see you soon" Connor said as he faded, and suddenly the light was gone and everybody just felt the energy back into them.
"Angel, are you alright?" Gunn asked him, quite concerned.
"Yes Gunn, I'm glad he is fine, I just want him back" Angel slightly smiled.
"I understand, but he had to do this, we should trust he'll be fine, after all he is your son Angel" Wesley said.
"I know he'll be fine, I feel it, it's like he transmitted something that makes me feel he'll be safe" Angel said, seeming calmer.
"He's your boy Angel, he doesn't want us to worry" Fred told him.
"I guess… we should look deeper into what the challenge is though, that will make me even calmer" Angel said.
"You are right, I'll look into it in my books, see what they say about the challenge" Wesley told him.
"We'll get online and see what we can find" Fred offered, and she went with Gunn to get the laptop.
"I just hope he comes soon, and once he does, he and I will have a little talk about all of this" Angel told them, seeming very determined.
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
"I think they do care" Joyce told Connor, standing next to him as they both watched the monitors. "If they didn't, they wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just to talk to you"
"I guess" Connor wanted to show how happy he was but he decided against it.
"And daddy doesn't seem too happy that you disobeyed him back at the hotel" Joyce told him, as they heard Angel's words about the 'little talk'. "I guess he is right, it would have saved both you and them all this trouble"
Connor didn't answer; he just stood there thinking he wanted the last test to be over and to finally be able to get back to the hotel, but he also realized he wasn't looking forward to having that 'little talk' with his father, because he didn't like the sound of that at all.
"Go to sleep Connor, I'll see you in the morning, you'll need all the energy you can get for the last test" Joyce told him, seeing that the boy was thinking too much about what she had said.
Connor did as she told him, and went back to sleep, hoping everything would turn out alright after all.
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
TBC…
oooooooooooo000000000000oooooooooooo
Thanks for reading, I'm off to do some homework now… :) Hope you did liked it at least a little.
REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE xx REVIEW xx PLEASE