Chapter 19
Discopulation
"So, you're surprised to see me?"
"Let's just say the last thing I expected to see down here was a $3000 dollar suit." Angel looked Hamilton up and down, his contempt for the man obvious in his appraisal.
"Who the hell are you? How did you get past all of those demons?" Connor had taken a defensive stance in front of Dawn, protecting her from this new threat that was obviously worse than the hoard of demons this one man had just defeated.
"Kid, you have no idea what you're messing with."
"Wait. Are you a lawyer? We were just saved by a lawyer? Is that why he's so well dressed?"
"He's not just any lawyer Connor; he's the liaison to the senior partners. What the hell are you doing here Hamilton?"
"Well, I came about your son, and the girl, I may be forced to kill them."
Connor attacked Hamilton, who responded by throwing him against the wall in a move that appeared to require no effort on his part. Angel and Buffy immediately came to Connor's defense, but even a vampire and a slayer were unable to do more than knock him slightly off balance, to which he quickly recovered.
"I suggest none of you attempt that again. You know what they say about repeating the same task expecting a different outcome…"
"You're the last person in this room who should be judging others' sanity."
"Angel, you remember that talk you and I had in your office after your son showed up unexpectedly at Wolfram and Hart? If not, perhaps you should review your notes for your own safety."
"If you wanted to kill my son, why didn't you just let the demons have us? It appeared we were running out of time waiting for reinforcements."
"Oh, I apologize; I didn't mean to jump ahead so quickly. Killing your son is a last resort. Let's call it plan B."
"OK, then why don't you get to plan A."
"Wow, no need to get testy, you just had to ask. It's actually rather simple really. The girl and boy must never see one another again, no contact, or we will terminate one or the other."
"No!" Dawn screamed and threw herself into Connor's arms. "You can't keep us from one another!"
"Oh, you misunderstand. I have no intention of being the one to see that you two obey. I am not a babysitter. No, Buffy and Angel will ensure this will happen. They are champions, devoted to saving the world. Used to sacrificing the one for the many. Even sacrificing love for the good of the world. It is really very touching if you go in for that sort of thing. No, by the time I leave this room, you will all agree it is necessary."
Buffy stepped forward, positioning herself directly in front of Hamilton. He stood nearly a foot taller than she, yet her strength was palpable. If he had been an ordinary man or demon, he'd surely be backing down.
Buffy offered a derisive laugh as she stared hard into the cold eyes of evil. "Yeah, I'm just going to do this 'cause you tell me to." Buffy looked over at Angel waiting for him to chime in. But when she looked at him she suddenly became very still and a feeling of fear began to sink into her being.
He looked thoughtful, and a little resigned, and it occurred to her that he knew something, something that made this real and imminent.
"Angel, what is it? What's wrong?"
"Ahhh, I think he may finally be catching on. Good for you Angel, figured you earned that CEO position on more than your looks."
"OK, I've had enough of this bullshit! I want answers. Dad if you know what is going on, tell us!"
"I think it would be best if we heard it from Hamilton. I have an idea of what the basics are, however I'm still a little confused on the Senior Partner's motives. So Hamilton, lets get this done."
"Well, it does kinda need some coaxing into, you know it's really quite embarrassing that I have to have this conversation at all. Not having children of my own I figured I'd be able to avoid the awkward 'birds and the bees' speech."
"Seriously Hamilton, no more games."
"Oh, but this is not a game. Perhaps if I reminded you and provided them with some background information the 'time-bomb' that is this situation would become clear to all."
"Hamilton."
"Let's start with Dawn being the key."
"She's not the key anymore, she's human." Buffy stepped in front of Dawn instinctively, hearing Dawn referred to as the key brought back anxiety she thought had long subsided.
"I know this is what you like to tell yourself about your little sis. It helps you feel she is finally safe now that Glory is gone and there is nothing for her to open. But just because she doesn't work, doesn't change who and what she is."
"What is he talking about, Dawn's a what?" Connor pulled Dawn away from him so that he could look into her face, scanning it as if trying to see that which he could have missed before.
"Kid, unless you're crazy, she looks human to you. Hell, she may look human to the crazy people now too. Quick, anyone here crazy, raise your hand, tell me if she's glowing."
"I don't understand."
"Oh, so I was right, you don't know it yet, should I tell it or does someone else want to? This is just fascinating, really, getting to watch it all unfold. Better than any reality show out there."
"Would you stop making jokes about our lives and the pain that we have had to endure?" Buffy turned her attention from Hamilton to Connor.
"Connor, it's a long story -" She began the statement but was interrupted by Dawn.
"You see I was a ball of energy that was a key that opened the door to other dimensions. This evil God Glory wanted to use me to get back to her dimension, so some monks hid me by using Buffy's blood to make me her sister. When Glory tried to use me, Buffy saved me and the world and poof, I was no longer a key. Just a girl that is like only three years old in actual time, but obviously not in our time reality."
"Well, when you ramble and don't take a breath, I guess it's not as long as you think," Buffy mumble under her breath.
"So, were you a demon?"
"Oh, no kid, she definitely is not nor was ever a 'demon'. No, just a key, and on a more interesting aside, ambiguously good or evil. Her use was the determinant; it was not an inherent part of her."
"OK, fine, this doesn't change how I feel about her, I'm not exactly normal myself."
"Enter the anything but normal kid who's what, nearly the same age, about three, right? Now how interesting is that? Anybody? No matter. Thus we come to the second part of the debacle of this relationship. Connor is the child of two vampires. One evil as they get, and I've seen the film on Darla's past. She was a nasty thing wasn't she? I get all hot and bothered just thinking about her. The other an ensouled evil thing, now considered good. The resulting child; you Connor, have all the abilities of a vampire but none of the weaknesses. And because of your soul, you are inherently good. Yet it is ambiguous as to whether you are truly human or a demon."
"You know, this story hour has been great, but the time to reminisce is over. Cut to the chase, Hamilton."
"And to the 'Chase' we are. You are already there Angel, you just don't want to admit it to yourself. Think Cordelia. Think Jasmine."
Angel swore and turned his attention to Dawn and Connor who sat wrapped in each other's arms against the far wall. A look of resignation and sadness had passed over his features before he was able to hide it.
"You fear what a child of the two would be, good or evil, human or a powerful being."
"Very, good, you go to the head of the class."
"But Jasmine was a special case, Cordelia was already possessed by the essence of Jasmine when she and Connor slept together…we really have no way of really knowing if who he is had anything to do with what-
"You slept with Cordelia?" Dawn and Buffy nearly shouted this in unison. They both looked at Connor, shock on Buffy's face, astonished anger on Dawn's. Dawn shoved him away from her, and walked across the room. As small as the room was, it seemed as if miles now separated them.
"Dawn, I can explain-"
"Cordelia was like old! And vain, and…and seriously? How could you! And not tell me!"
"Dawn, do really think this is what we should be talking about right now? Don't you think we kinda have more important things to deal with-"
"Oh sure, don't mind me, at your convenience, really. This 'forced to be apart thing's' starting to grow on me."
Connor lost all semblance of calm at her retort. "Don't ever say that, ever. We both have pasts we're obviously not proud of. You can't possibly understand what I was going through. I was scared, and angry and alone, and she was the only one there. And I hated Angel, I didn't know any better, God Dawn, I was raised in a hell dimension. She was the only thing he had, the only thing he loved, and when I thought she loved me, I took the only thing Angel had left, and the only sanity I could find."
"Connor, I'm sorry…I-
"Wait, you were in love with Cordelia?" Now it was Buffy's turn. Angel wondered if it could possibly get any worse.
"Buffy, another time…"
"Oh I don't think so, Cordy?!"
"The Immortal?!"
"What?"
"Enough!" Hamilton shouted. "I'm kinda on a time crunch here. Ya think you could deal with your tiny little mellow dramas on your own time, and let me finish with the very important one I brought with me today. Does a person need an appointment with you people? How about I just take a number?"
They all turned to stare at him in complete silence, an almost chastised feeling of discomfort hung in the air as they all realized the evil guy was right.
"Great, now, back to the matter at hand. Where were we? Oh yeah…Connor, Cordy, Jasmine, problem, yada yada yada…let me check my notes," Hamilton looked down appearing to shuffle imaginary notes in search of his answer, to the much irritated sighs of his audience.
"Hamiliton…" Angel growled.
Hamilton looked up with a smile. "Yes, here it is, the prophesy. Well, there isn't one, not that we have been able to locate thus far. But make no mistake. We are looking and we do expect we will find one. Everything's prophesized you know. We just tend to misplace the documents every now and again. You think with something so important we'd be a little more careful, get a safety deposit box or something. Ah, well, the Senior Partners are doing there darndest to find the answers. But until then, we really can't risk unleashing some great good into this world that we know nothing about. You know like Jasmine, that damn ambiguous, 'is she evil, is she good' being. It happened we lucked out and we both didn't want her and you were able to find a way to destroy her. There is no way of knowing if we will have such luck in the future."
"OK, this is stupid they are just kids, and no one is talking about children here-"
"Well, we've been surveiling them for some time, and I've seen the footage. I'm sure we would all agree that the possibility is there."
"God, I can't believe we are even talking about this." Hesitantly Buffy offered her solution. "You know, it isn't as if there aren't precautions."
"Nothing's 100 percent and we are talking the mystical.
"Fine, even if she were to get pregnant. Nothing says she has to have the baby, we have options."
"Angel, Connor, you want to field this one or should I?" Hamilton was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest with that annoying smirk still in place.
"Uh, Buffy, in my past experiences with Cordelia, in both of her mystical pregnancies, the only cure in the first case was to kill the father, and in the second it was to kill her. It's possible that once it starts, we won't be able to stop it without hurting Dawn or Connor. Even Darla was unable to . . ." Angel trailed off and looked over at his son guiltily.
"It's ok Dad, I know she tried to get rid of me but couldn't, and then had to sacrifice her life to give birth to me."
Dawn jumped back into Connor's arms, tears pouring down a face twisted in anguish, a clear sign that all thoughts of past mistakes was now forgotten. "So, that's it. We can't be together?"
"Ah, the irony of the situation. Buffy and Angel can't be together because of that pesky curse, and now your sister and son suffer the same fate. Very poetic. Very Shakespearean tragedy."
"This isn't funny; you can't just play with people's lives this way! It's just not fair!" Dawn was sobbing now, crumpled in the corner, every part of her body racked with the weight of it all.
"I'm sorry, did anyone else miss my earlier statement about this not being a game? Sure it would be a fun one, and yes one I would line up to play, but no this is your reality. Sure glad it ain't mine."
"Buffy you promised me! You promised I would have a normal life."
"I know baby, I'm so sorry." Buffy tried to take Dawn into her arms but she pushed her away.
"Dad, you can't expect us to honor this, this, bullshit"
"Son, you saw what happened to Cordelia. I know that you wouldn't want that to happen to Dawn. If there were even a chance, you wouldn't take it, because you love her." Angel looked over at Buffy as he said the last.
"We can't risk unleashing another Jasmine or worse upon this world. You know that I could never let that happen."
"Dad, I know but, I love her."
Angel walked over to Connor and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, now hunched in resignation. "With power, with who you are, comes responsibility, and sometimes sacrifice."
Connor threw Angel's hand off his shoulder and anger filled his body once more, "Who am I, Spider-man? You're giving me the Spidy speech!"
"Uh, spidy…"
"You really do need to get out more," Buffy whispered to a very confused Angel.
"Whatever, my answer's the same, fuck responsibility! I'm sick of it! I won't leave her."
"Connor, I'm not saying it's hopeless, there may be a way; we just have to find it."
"Oh, it's looking pretty bleak from where I'm standing, and I'm at the door of the most powerful evil. Yep, pretty damn bleak."
"Hamilton, don't you have an elsewhere you could be? You're done here, now get out."
"Yeah, I'm leaving. But only because I know you will do the right thing. Champions. Not a single selfish bone in their bodies. It's just so endearing to see in today's apathetic social climate, that there are still of few of you left."
"And what exactly are you Hamilton? Who is it that you fight for?"
"Why, the winning team of course. Evil's hung around for a long time."
"And so have those who fight it."
"Yeah, well, we'll see how long that will be. You know, there's a prophesy out there that says we may end up on the same team."
"I don't believe in prophesies."
"Sure you do." Hamilton looked over at Buffy as he finished, "You live everyday hoping that one particular prophesy comes true. She's your biggest reason for fighting the good fight."
Angel looked over at Buffy, unable to deny that Hamilton was right.
"Well, I hear an apocalypse brewing." The Wolfram & Hart helicopter could be heard approaching mere minutes from their location.
"Or perhaps it's just a chopper. No matter, the Senior Partners keep me in nice suits, and hot cars. What more could an immortal ask for? Oh, and you four, take care. Remember, it's better to have loved and lost..." Letting the proverb hang in the air, Hamilton smiled and left, his whistling floated in his wake.
"Dawny, listen to me, we will find a way. But for now, from what they've said, for your safety as well as Connor's, the two of you must stay apart."
"No!" Dawn screamed and ran towards the door. But when she reached it she stopped short at the pile of mutilated bodies on the floor. She looked back unsure of herself, but then stepped out over and around the bodies in her haste to get away from the horror of the harsh reality that clouded the room.
Connor started to go after Dawn, but was stopped by Buffy. "Connor, let me go to her. She needs her sister right now."
"I'm not going to let her go. I love her." Tears welled up in his eyes as he said this.
"I know you do. But she needs me right now. She's mad at me. She thinks it's my fault. I need to go talk to her."
Buffy followed Dawn out into the night to find her sitting on the grass with her knees tucked up under her chin and crying. She attempted to pull Dawn into her arms, but Dawn pushed her away. Buffy's only choice was to use her slayer strength to get the girl to accept her comfort.
She pulled the struggling Dawn into her arms and settled her head in her lap. She then began stroking her hair, waiting for her sobs to calm enough for her to talk.
"It's just not fair Buffy. Oh God, it hurts to breathe. Why does it hurt to breathe? I feel like I'm breaking inside. How can all this be happening? Just yesterday he was a normal guy, and we were happy and we were in love, and now this. It's just not fair!" Her sobs increased with fervor now, the strength of them nearly sending her into convulsions.
"I know this doesn't help, but I've been where you are right now. And it does get better. You'll never stop loving him, but the pain will ease."
"You're making it sound like it's over. It's not! You promised me a normal life! You said I could have it, that I wouldn't have to go through what you had."
"I know baby, but this is out of my control; out of all of our control. You have to let him go for now, until we can find a way to fix this."
"Buffy I can't!"
"Dawn you are one of the strongest people I know, and I know you can do this. If anyone can get through this it is you. And it isn't forever I promise you that. I know Angel. He will find a way around this. He loves his son and he loves you. He'll find a way to ensure that you are both happy."
"And he'd do anything to make sure you were happy." Dawn said looking pointedly at Buffy.
"Yeah he would. He even left me to make sure I would be happy. And I believe that Connor also has your best interest at heart. But he may have to choose the same path his father chose. He knows that there is a great chance that your relationship could hurt you, possibly even kill you. As well as endanger the world. But he'd never leave you forever and he'd never forget you. I see it in the way he looks at you, the way he touches you. He wants you in his life. The two of you will find your way back to each other, just as I know one day Angel and I will also find our way back to one another."
Buffy placed a kiss on Dawn's forehead and let her continue to cry it out. It would be a long time before the tears would dry.
A/N - I didn't spend as much time editting this as I normally would, so please forgive any slight errors, I think I got all of the major ones. I hope you enjoyed, just two chapters left...