Chapter Twenty-Eight

I am so sorry I have been gone so long! I finally finished the other story. But then I forgot that the end of my little timeline I gave you was Thanksgiving week. Then we had a huge snowstorm that kept me snowed in at work for, like, five days. I finally finished this chapter this morning. And can I just say that it is good to have my muse for this story back! The ideas are just a-coming!

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Three weeks later…

"Faith, down!"

Faith ducked as Dean fired off a round from the Colt, shooting a vampire who had been charging her right in the heart. Dean immediately turned to take on another vampire as it attacked him.

The whole gang had gone out hunting tonight, having heard of a vampire nest on the outskirts of town. What it had turned out to be was a vampire feeding frenzy. Both species of vampire were holed up in the warehouse with dozens of humans to feast on. It was a little confusing, to say the least, to pay attention to which vampire you were fighting in order to know how to kill it. Plus, they had learned the way to trick the hunters; the older vampire species wasn't flipping into game-face, so they all looked alike. Luckily, beheading worked on both.

Buffy swung her sword, decapitating a vampire before moving on to the next. Angel swung an arm out, the stake attached to his wrist harness dusting a vampire. Sam pinned a vampire down as Bobby aimed a machete at its neck. Faith focused a kick on a vampire's sternum, following it up with a stake.

Dean blocked a punch from one, nailing it with an elbow to the ribs. The vampire doubled over, but then used its new position to ram its head into Dean's torso, wrapping its arms around him. Dean flew to the ground on his back as the vampire pinned him. Dean put his arms up, letting his elbows and forearms take the brunt of the attack. He brought his leg up behind the vampire, knocking it in the back with his knee. The vampire jolted forward towards Dean, momentarily ceasing its assault.

Dean quickly wrapped his arms around the vampire's head and neck, pushing off from the ground to roll backwards. The vampire flew over his head as he went with it, landing on top of the vampire's torso. He immediately punched it several times in the head and pulled out a stake, nailing it in the heart. The vampire yelled in pain as blood spurted from around the stake. The vampire glared up at Dean, reaching for him.

"Oh, crap, wrong one—" muttered Dean as he was pushed to the ground next to the vampire.

The vampire wrenched the stake out of its chest, wincing in pain, and rammed it down towards Dean. Dean grabbed hold of the arm, stopping the stake's descent about a foot away from his own heart. As the two of them wrestled with the stake, Dean glanced over to his right, finding a machete laying discarded on the ground.

If I can just get him far enough away to reach the machete… Dean thought.

As though reading Dean's mind, the vampire pressed down more on the stake, lowering it closer to his chest. Dean pushed up with all his might, trying to keep from being staked.

Little help here! Dean mentally called out, unable to voice it.

The vampire suddenly froze, light pouring from its eyes and mouth. As the light died out, the vampire fell to the ground.

Dean looked up at Castiel standing above him. "I thought you were keeping tabs on Lucifer!"

"I cannot sense his location any longer," said Castiel. "My grace is—"

"No time!" yelled Dean, jumping up onto his feet, grabbing the machete and joining the fight again.

It ended quickly now that they had Castiel to smite the vampires. Cordelia staked the last vampire as everyone regrouped.

"Well, that was bracing," sighed Buffy.

"A regular Vamp-mageddon," smirked Dean.

"Lucky we had back-up of the divine persuasion," Giles nodded at Castiel. "Went very smoothly."

"I'd hate to see what rough is for you people," said Sam.

"Yes, you would," panted Wesley.

"So, Cas, you lost some more grace?" asked Dean.

Castiel nodded. "Lucifer is now moving much too quickly for me to keep up. He began sensing my presence. It's best that I avoid all encounters with angels from now on, if I can."

"Good call," said Dean.

"If we've finished here, I'd like to get back home to Dawn," said Buffy.

"She'll be fine, Buff," said Xander. "She's with Willow and Fred."

"Still," said Buffy. She began moving back towards where they had parked the three cars they had taken to get there.

"Those were some good moves back there, Connor," Angel told his son.

Connor made no acknowledgement that he had heard. He only kept stalking towards Angel's black 1967 Plymouth GTX with an ever-present scowl on his face. Angel looked over at Buffy, who nudged her head towards him in a "keep going" way.

Angel looked back at Connor. "I especially liked that move where you used the vampire's own strength against him, knocking him into that I-beam and then staking him. That was…awesome."

Connor still made no move at the comment.

Angel widened his stride, catching up to him and walking next to him. "You saved a lot of lives tonight. I'm really proud of you."

Connor slowed and stopped, and Angel turned around to face him. Connor looked up at Angel, his scowl lessening somewhat.

"Thanks," Connor finally said shortly, moving past Angel and going towards the car.

Angel looked up at Buffy with a slight smile, and she smiled back at him.

Faith slid up to Dean. "Those were some pretty good moves back there. I was impressed."

"You weren't so bad yourself," smiled Dean.

"Oh, please, I got mad skills," Faith brushed off.

Dean smirked suggestively at her. "Don't I know it."

Faith turned to him as they reached the Impala. "And you better never forget it."

"How could I?" said Dean. "You're pretty unforgettable."

"What can I say?" said Faith. "I know how to rock 'em and shock 'em." She smiled sexily at him and then climbed into the backseat.

Dean glanced up across the car's roof to see Sam, Bobby and Buffy watching with raised brows. "What?"

Sam nodded down at where Faith sat in the car. "What was that about?"

Dean shrugged. "Nothing."

"Did you guys sleep together?" asked Buffy.

Dean stared at her before rolling his eyes. "Okay, yeah, we had a thing. So what? It was a one-time—" he paused a moment, "okay, three-time thing, but it's over now."

"Does she know that?" asked Bobby.

"Yes, we both went into this knowing we didn't want something more," Dean told them. "Are we done discussing my love life now?" He climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.

Sam and Buffy shook their heads at the whole thing before they got into the car, Bobby following suit.

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Sam stepped into the dining room, finding Connor sitting at the table. Sam sometimes found himself creeped out by Connor and his expressionless face. It was like watching Castiel when he was a hormonal teenager. Even now, Connor was just sitting at the table, staring at the wall.

Sam shook off his uneasiness. "Hey, we're getting ready to order pizza. You want any? I mean, do you even…you know, eat?"

Connor glanced up at him, not saying anything.

"'Cause Angel doesn't eat," Sam clarified his—he now realized—ridiculous question.

Connor looked back at the wall. "I eat."

"Okay…" said Sam. "What kind of pizza do you like?"

Connor looked back at him, a frown forming on his face. "Pizza?"

"You…have had pizza before, right?" asked Sam.

Connor slowly shook his head.

"Well, then, you can just have a slice of everything," Sam told him. "You'll find out what kind you like."

Connor looked down at his hands, giving a nod.

"Why don't you come join us?" asked Sam.

Connor hesitated for a moment. "I'm better off on my own."

Sam glanced back into the living room at everyone and then looked back at Connor, heading over to the table and sitting across from him. "Are you really?"

Connor frowned up at him.

"I've heard all of your stories, and I know what's been going on with you," Sam told him. He paused for a moment. "Do you know how lucky you are to have a father like Angel?"

Connor stared at him for a second before glancing at the doorway. Assuring himself that no one was there, he looked back at Sam and lowered his voice. "He didn't fight for me."

Sam frowned. "What?"

"He didn't fight for me," Connor told him. "Father—" he paused, stopping himself, "that man took me, and he didn't even try to get me back."

"That's not what happened at all," said Cordelia from the doorway.

Connor and Sam both looked over at her.

"Your father worried himself sick when you were taken," Cordelia told him. "Holtz was going to kill you unless he took you. Your father tried to follow you into Quor'Toth, but Sahjhan closed the portal before he could. He wouldn't give up. He tried everything to get you back, even if it meant his own life. I've never seen a father love his son more."

Connor still didn't look convinced.

"It's true, you know," said Sam.

Connor looked up at him with a frown.

"Take it from someone who knows, a father like that is a rare thing to have," Sam told him.

"Your father gave his life to save your brother," Connor pointed out. "He saved his son. He loved his family enough to give up everything."

Sam nodded. "True…but he wasn't always like that. After my mother died, my father dove headfirst into hunting. He wouldn't think of anything else. Everything he did was for the job…was too stubborn to see any other point of view." He hesitated a moment, never having voiced his next point to anyone, not even Dean. "If he hadn't sold his soul for Dean, I'm sure this job would have run him into the ground eventually. And without the cause of catching his wife's killer…"

"But he was still there for you," said Connor. "He was there to protect you…watch over you." He looked down at the table in silent despair.

Sam watched the desolate teenager for a few moments in contemplation. "Then let me tell you a story…about a boy named Max."

Connor looked up at him in interest.

"When Max was a baby, his mother was killed by a fire in his nursery," Sam told him. "His father was so lost and hurting that he wanted to lash out at something or someone to make the pain go away. Max became the target of his pain. Max's father beat and abused him his entire life. He even let his brother hit Max. Eventually, Max couldn't take it anymore. He killed his father and his uncle before taking his own life."

Connor's face softened sadly at the story.

"Max spent his entire life in fear of the one person who should have loved him unconditionally," Sam went on. "Max's father became the very thing he should have been protecting his son from." He let that thought sink in before continuing. "To have a father that would not only never raise a hand to you, but would willingly lay down his life for you…You don't take something like that for granted."

Connor stared at him, speechless, as Cordelia walked over and sat next to him, wrapping him in a hug. Connor accepted the hug, basking in the comfort, before looking up at Sam and nodding gratefully.

Sam nodded back. "See ya later, kid." He stood and headed back into the living room.

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Angel walked down the sidewalk of Buffy's neighborhood in the early pre-dawn hours, trying to clear his head. It wasn't working too well.

He could tell that the old feelings between Buffy and himself were beginning to stir up. He knew that they had promised to stay away from each other until the world no longer needed either of them, but with Dean's Michael plan still going smoothly, it looked like that time might just be here sooner than they thought.

Of course, that left the question of what would become of him and Cordelia. Just before heading for Sunnydale, they had basically said that they loved each other. Then again, that was just after the Devourer took control, so who knows if that was actually Cordelia talking.

"You seem troubled."

Angel stopped, smirked and then turned towards the angel standing on the walkway behind him. "You know, you're probably one of the only people in this world that can actually sneak up on me."

"Should I have announced myself sooner?" Castiel asked with a worried, apologetic frown.

"No, you were fine," Angel quickly said. "It's just that I can usually hear people coming long before they catch up to me."

"Oh," said Castiel.

"What were you saying?" asked Angel.

"You seem troubled," Castiel repeated.

Angel shrugged. "I usually am."

"May I be of some assistance?" asked Castiel.

Angel frowned in confusion. "You…want to help me through my problems?"

Castiel gave a slight shoulder roll that could have been a shrug as he stepped towards the vampire. "When a person is…upset, his fellow humans comfort and take care of that person to make them feel better. Dean, however, only seems to do that for his brother."

Angel chuckled a little. "Yeah, he's not much for emotion-sharing." He gave a small smile. "Takes one to know one."

Castiel stared at him, waiting for Angel to share what was on his mind.

Angel looked down the street and then back at Castiel. "You wanna take a walk?"

Castiel frowned. "Walk?"

Angel nodded. "A walk. People do that to work through things sometimes."

Castiel hesitated before stepping up next to Angel. "I will walk with you."

Angel turned and began walking with him. The two walked in silence for a while.

"I appreciate your offer, but this is something I kind of need to work through on my own," Angel told him.

"As you wish," nodded Castiel. "If my opinion helps at all, your son is a good person. You should feel honored to be his father."

Angel frowned and looked over at him. "Actually, I was thinking of a completely different problem, but what do you mean? I am honored to be his father."

Even as he said it, though, he felt a slight hint of doubt. Ever since he had found out how Connor had really been born and why, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that Connor was destined for a dark future.

"I am speaking of the revelation that Connor was created to father in an era of darkness and despair," Castiel stated bluntly.

Well, geez, just go ahead and say it out loud, why don't you? Angel thought, but stayed silent.

"My Father set everything in motion from the beginning," Castiel began. "It stands to reason that He knew we would be here in this time and place. He created the plan to end Armageddon through an angelic battle that would end all suffering. This battle would bring about Earth's destruction, leaving a peaceful—yet empty—paradise. And yet, I believe that He knew everything about the Winchesters' and Buffy's destiny would happen. He knew Dean would plan to use Michael to end Armageddon the way it was meant to end."

Castiel stepped and turned towards Angel. "A great being had used your son to be born, so that it may reign in a terrible world completely powerless against it…but my Father knew I would destroy the Devourer before this could happen."

Angel frowned, trying to see Castiel's point.

"God allowed Connor to be born, knowing he would not bring about any evil," Castiel went on. "Connor was given to you because God saw you as the best father for him. Your son is a gift."

Angel considered his point, realizing that he had known it all along. Relief poured through his soul as he gave thanks that his precious boy would not have to go through any of that.

Angel began walking again. "Thanks, Castiel."

"You are welcome," said Castiel, walking next to him.

"You know, you're really getting the hang of this being human thing," Angel told him.

"I am?" asked Castiel.

"Your 'comforting your fellow human' seems to come almost naturally," said Angel. "I feel much better."

Castiel gave a little smile as they turned onto Buffy's block.

"Can I ask you a question?" said Angel.

Castiel looked over at him. "Yes."

"Do you know about my…destiny?" asked Angel.

Castiel frowned for a moment before realizing. "You are referring to the Shanshu prophecy."

"You've heard of it?" asked Angel.

"All angels know of every divine prophecy when it is foretold," Castiel explained. "And, yes, it is true."

Angel looked over at him. "It's what?"

"The Shanshu prophecy will, indeed, come to pass," Castiel told him. "Once you have proven yourself worthy, you will be given your reward."

Angel's heart soared at the news. He would be human some day, live his life, grow old with Buffy, give Connor little brothers and sis—

Angel's thoughts froze there. Huh…

When he had thought of being human and who he would spend his life with, his thoughts had jumped straight to Buffy. Did that mean he loved her more than Cordelia? Whatever the answer, one thing was certain: he could finally be the father Connor deserved.

Maybe he'll finally like me once I'm human again, Angel thought.

Angel and Castiel walked under a tree or two as they entered the Summers' backyard. As he looked up toward the house, Angel spotted Connor on the back patio, waiting for them.

"Connor?" Angel asked.

Connor slowly stepped down from the patio, walking towards Angel. He was avoiding eye contact and looking a little shifty.

"Connor?" Angel prompted again as he stopped in front of his son.

Connor slowly looked up at Angel, and Angel paused. He had never seen that look on Connor's face before; it was almost like it was…warmth.

"Dad…" said Connor.

Angel's heart froze in his chest—metaphorically, of course—as he stared at his son. Connor had never called him "Dad" before. Well, when Connor first came back, he had greeted Angel with "Hi, Dad," but since he had then tried to kill him, Angel didn't really count that.

"Connor…" Angel breathed out.

Connor seemed to struggle with the words for a moment. "Thank you."

That was all that needed to be said. Angel could see it all in Connor's eyes:

Thank you for not giving up on me.

Thank you for trying to save me.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for being my father.

But more importantly:

I'm sorry…

Angel reached forward to pull him into a hug, but hesitated, feeling that it would be awkward for both of them. As he hesitated, Connor reached a hand out, offering an olive branch. Angel smiled and clasped Connor's hand, shaking it as he placed the other one warmly on Connor's shoulder.

"I love you, Connor," Angel told him.

Not yet able to say the same back but not wanting to stay silent, Connor replied, "Me, too."