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Connor broke an Oreo apart and licked out the centre, as Holtz arrived back at their apartment. Upon seeing his foster father, Connor slightly lowered his eyes
"He was everything you said. He tried to convince me otherwise by saving people, but I saw through it. I've seen his true face"
"And I've seen yours," Holtz replied, "Anyone who saw you two together would think you belong with him, by his side"
"That's not true," Connor growled
"You need him, Steven. You wanted to meet him, that's why you broke through the barriers. It was your need for him"
"I don't need him. He's a demon!"
"And you're the bastard son of the demon"
"Then I'm a demon"
"No. I have no idea what you are, but there are answers and none of them I can give to you. Go back to him, Steven"
"You tell me not to be deceived, but you've let yourself be deceived!" Connor said
"If I could stop this, I would, but there are forces at work here more powerful than us," Holtz said, "God gave me to you, but now it's time I gave you back"
"Why are you doing this?" Connor asked
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"The kid was made for it," Angel grinned, "I can't work out how it's possible really, but it's in his blood. You should have seen us, Cordy"
"I did," Cordelia replied from the bed
"How?"
"When you guys left, I went back into my vision. Don't ask me how, but I did. I saw the whole thing. You and our son together. It was beautiful"
Angel smiled at his girlfriend, just as Fred and Gunn came into the room
"We've got a problem," Gunn said
"What's that?" Cordelia asked, rising up from the bed
"We were tracking down emissions from Quor-toth," Fred said, "And found Holtz"
"Holtz?" Angel said, "Where is he?"
Cordelia left the room to check on Ashleigh, who was with Lorne down in the lobby, when she heard Lorne's raised voice. Frowning, she headed downstairs, finding the Anagogic demon confronting Connor, who was glaring at him with hatred
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked, stepping between the two, "Steven? Connor"
Connor glanced at his mother briefly, as she moved him away from Lorne
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting him down
"He's a demon," Connor replied with hostility
"True. But Lorne's a good guy. Not all demons are evil. I mean, look at me. I'm part-demon. By choice. And-"
Connor drew a knife and attempted to stab her, but Cordelia caught his wrist, her other hand pressed to his chest, as she started glowing brightly. Connor was also trapped in the light, as it then faded away. The blade had shattered, as tears welled up in Connor's eyes and he let them loose, while Cordelia held him close, soothing him
"It's okay, baby, it's okay. I'm here now. It's okay"
She looked up to see Angel coming down the stairs
"What happened here?" he asked
"Little miss demony britches here must have got the full package from the Powers," Lorne replied, "The kid here was toxic. Heavy on the ick. She flushed him out. Kinda like a soul colonic"
Connor moved away from his mother, as the tears stopped falling. Cordelia got up and brushed a strand of his hair away from his face, before picking Ashleigh up and grabbing her small handbag
"Where are you going?" Angel asked
"Just…out. Is that okay?" she asked
"Yeah, okay then. Gunn, can you and Fred take Connor out somewhere"
"Like where?" Fred asked
"Some place that doesn't make him feel like this world is bad"
Gunn nodded and left with Fred, as Connor followed after him
"And where are you going?" Cordelia asked as Angel grabbed his coat, but he didn't reply, "You're gonna go see Holtz, aren't you?"
"Just paying him a visit. Not gonna kill him, although he deserves it"
"Oh, you can kill him. He took our son's childhood away. But don't lie to Connor"
"I'm not," Angel said
He left the hotel, as Cordelia sighed and followed out after him
"And now it's just me and my seabreeze," Lorne said, "I can live with that"
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"I can't remember?" Holtz said, looking up from his letter, "If I have to invite you in"
"Motel. Public place. No invitation required," Angel replied
In one swift movement, he had Holtz pinned to the wall by the throat
"You took my son," he growled
"You killed mine," Holtz said calmly, "I keep yours alive"
Angel's grip lessened and he stepped back as he remembered that night in 1764
"I was different then"
"So was I. You feel remorse," Holtz said, "You feel remorse and yet, can't express it"
"You want me to say sorry?" Angel asked, "How can I? It wouldn't mean a thing"
"It would mean a little"
"Then I'm sorry. For whatever little it might mean. It's all I got"
"Not all. You had a son. I thought that by depriving you of that son, I would gain a small measure of justice. I was wrong"
"Taking Connor from me was never justice. It was vengeance"
"Maybe that's what I do now: give back what I took. I'm an old man. I have nothing to offer the boy. You can give him what I can't: his purpose"
Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing as Holtz stood beside him
"But every time you look at his face, every time he calls you 'father', you'll be reminded all that you took and can never give back. And if that is not vengeance, then I find I have no taste for it"
Holtz then handed Angel the letter in an unsealed envelope
"All I ask is that you give this to him. I think you'll want to read it. You should"
"Why are you doing this?" Angel asked, still disbelieving it all
"I love my son. This will ensure he goes on loving me"
Angel took the letter and with one last look at Holtz, left the apartment
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Pulling up near the wharf, Angel opened up the letter and began to read,
Dearest Steven,
This is a most difficult letter for me to write. You mean more to me than anything in this world or any other. But your best interests must come first, which is why by the time you receive this, I will be gone. I hope one day you will be able to forgive an old man's weakness which compels him to say these things in a letter. But to attempt a goodbye in your presence would be impossible for me. I fear I would never let you go and I must let you go. I know that if I didn't, you would only end up hating me and that I could not bear. Your destiny lies with Angel. I know that now. You will have a better life with him. I'm comforted by that certainty and in the knowledge that with him, you'll discover your true purpose and come to know who it is you are meant to be
Angel let a brief smile pass over his face as he folded up the letter
"Connor"
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Meanwhile, Connor arrived back at the apartment. He had been taken down to the ocean by Gunn and Fred and was staring at the open sea when he heard Gunn comment on Angel dealing with Holtz in his own way. Worried by this, Connor left the pair at the beach and sped off towards the motel, hoping to get there in time so he could stop Angel, having starting to become attached to his biological father. But when he burst inside, he found that Holtz wasn't around. He stepped outside, hearing crying from the back alley and went to investigate, finding the woman from the bar, Justine, sitting on the ground, Holtz's dead body lying on her arms, blood trickling down his throat from two puncture marks on his neck. Justine got up, wiping the tears away, as Connor fell next to his foster father's body
"Angelus was here," Justine said, "I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. He killed Daniel! I'm sorry"
She wiped a few more tears away, before making sure the icepick was hidden from sight, as she knelt beside the grieving Connor
"I'll help you get revenge on him," she offered
"Angelus," Connor growled in anger
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