Chapter 4 - New Day, New Problems.


Later that night, moving steadily into morning…

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After watching Lindsey drift off for a while and once he was sure the kid was asleep and settled, Angel sought out his watcher to see what the man had discovered.

As always, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce was easily found sitting in his usual corner of the library/study. His worn leather chair surrounded by books, scrolls and other types of documents, piled so high that if they fell they would most probably crush him.

Wesley was clearly immersed in his research when Angel entered the room, so he took care not to startle the watcher when he made his approach, making sure to make a sound to compensate for his lack of breathing. It was only after he scuffed his feet a bit, that Angel finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Find anything, Wes?"

"Umm yes actually, I think I may." As the watcher spoke he flipped back a few pages in the oversized, hide-bound book he'd just been reading, before passing it over to Angel's stretched-out palm. "Here, take a look at this."

The text in the book was written in a language foreign to the vampire, but the illustrations at least were clear in their depiction. "It looks like a man turning into some sort of large cat." Angel described as he studied the pictures in front of him.

"Yes, a panther I believe. I'm pretty sure that our Lindsey is a type of Lycanthrope, or in layman's terms, a werecat."

"So, he's like Willow's friend, the one that turns into a wolf during the full moon?"

"Kind of... Not exactly."

"Not exactly? What makes him different other than one goes woof the other goes meow?"

"It appears that, despite their similar names, werecats are very different from their wolfen counterparts, in quite a few areas, actually. The first being that they can change whenever they choose, they don't have to wait for the full moon, nor do they have to change during it. Another difference in lore is that werecats are not made, they're born. It's believed to be a trait passed down through blood, however, it doesn't manifest very often. And in fact, the last known case was over a hundred and fifty years ago."

"So, is this why Wolfram and Hart came after him? Because he's so rare." Angel questioned, feeling as if he was finally grasping the situation.

"Most probably. Although I did read something…" Wesley sighed as he quickly dismissed the thought, turning his face away to clean his glasses. "I don't know. It may or may not be important. I need some more time to really go over it."

"Ok, well keep up the good work."

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At first, Angel wasn't sure what had drawn his attention so suddenly, but as soon as he did, he was launching himself from his chair and onto the side of the bed.

"Lindsey!"

The boy was clearly trapped in some nightmare, his small form turning restlessly under the covers, arms coming up to his head as if shielding himself from some unwelcome attacker. But what could a kid so young have in his subconscious already that would make him as terrified as he was right now?

"Come on Lindsey, you need to wake up."

The vampire tried to rouse the young boy, but the nightmare wouldn't let go of him, Lindsey's little chest jumping up and down as he clawed for air, as if he were drowning under a wave of fear and anguish.

"Lindsey, please wake up for me."

"W-W-What?" Two tear-filled eyes opened along with the trembling voice, shaking hands reaching up to push sweat-soaked hair from out of his face. "Mr Angel?"

"That's right. Are you ok? You were tossing quite a bit." His voice was softer than normal, clearly trying to calm Lindsey, but he still struggled to get the tone quite right, or the facial expression.

"I'm alright. I just get scary dreams sometimes that I can't get rid of."

"What are they about?

"Lots 'a things." The kid shrugged before his shoulders folded in on themselves and his body sunk further into the bed. "Scary monsters, dark places... mama and daddy leavin' me again."

"That's got to be tough on you. Does anything make them go away?"

"Uh-huh..."

"What's that then?"

"My Kitty." Lindsey smiled as he spoke, just a soft little grin, as a glimmer of hope sparkled in his eyes. "Sometimes he comes into my dreams and protects me from the bad people that want to hurt me. But only sometimes."

"Well, I guess that's something."

"Din't you go to bed, Mr Angel?" Lindsey asked, a child-like concern marking his voice. His attention had been caught by an open book and two red-stained glasses on the table in the corner, and the leather chair next to them, which also had an indentation in its cushion that suggested someone had been sitting there for quite some time. "Aren't you sleepy?"

"Umm, no. I don't really get sleepy." And with that the young boy seemed to settle, accepting the explanation without further discussion, just a single nod and a great big yawn as he pushed himself further up the mattress. "Come on Kid, let's get you up and your teeth brushed."

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Lindsey came bouncing down the stairs later that morning, teeth brushed, and hair freshly washed as he pounced merrily off the bottom step. He was shortly followed by Angel who then guided the young cub to the hotel's kitchen area, where Wesley was waiting with a fresh pot of coffee warming in the percolator.

"Hey, Lindsey. What would like for breakfast? We have toast, eggs, bacon, sausages, or there's some cereal in here if you would prefer that instead." As he spoke the watcher turned slightly and pointed to the thickly cut sausages already sizzling on the grill, next to a few other pans filled with all the other enticing foods the Englishman had offered.

And, Oh My God! The smell was nothing like Lindsey had ever smelled before. All these delicious scents mingling in the air as he turned his nose up to take a sniff. It was more than he could ever dream of, not having a point of reference to base his imagination on.

Still though…

"I'm ok, Mr Wesley. Thank you."

It was at that moment that the vampire's head shot up, concern radiating from his harsh features. "You can't not have any breakfast Kiddo. It's the most important meal of the day." And even if that wasn't the case, Lindsey certainly needed whatever sustenance the team could pack into him, so he could put some meat on that bony frame of his. "Come on, at least have some eggs."

"But I don't normally have it?" It was a scrunched-up brow that revealed the kid's confusion as he looked up at the adults standing around him. "Only Mama and Daddy get breakfast... Oh and baby Sarah because she cry's a lot. Mama says it cost too much to feed alls of us."

"Well, ummm..." Wesley was lost for words.

"We have enough money, Lindsey. You don't have to worry about that."

And so, before the kid could argue any further, Angel took a large plate from the drying rack and piled it with the scrambled eggs he was sure the young boy had been eyeing a moment ago, ignoring the rest of his team as they entered the room.

"Good morning, Lindsey. Did you have a good sleep?"

"Hi Miss 'Delia. Yes, I did thanks you," The kid answered politely, before continuing, "I got t' sleep in a real bed with pillows and blankets. And now I'm eatin' breakfast." He then smiled up at her, with a big cherubic grin.

It was over that cheerful but slightly grubby face, that Cordelia noticed the others throwing her a look, that gave a clear and concise message that they wanted some privacy for a moment.

"That's good… Hey Lindsey, do you want to watch some cartoons for a bit whilst us grownups talk?" The receptionist suggested, signalling the area in the lobby that was far enough away for hopefully even a child's sensitive eras. "You can take your eggs with you"

"Okay, Miss 'Delia."

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"So, you decided what are we gonna do with him yet?" Gunn had barely waited for the kid to move just a few steps away before launching into his question. His tone, as you could probably imagine, was unkind given his thoughts on the ex-lawyer.

"What do you mean?" And as always, it was Cordelia who was quick to respond, ready to jump to Lindsey's defence like many other poor lost souls.

"Are we sending him to an orphanage, or is there someplace special for cases like this?"

"You can't be serious."

"Deadly. He's dangerous."

"He's just a child." Cordelia whisper-screeched, shaking her hands out in frustration. "We can't just send him away Gunn. He needs to stay somewhere we know is safe. Like here."

"You what? Are you forgetting the part where he worked for an evil law firm for years and tried to release Angelous on multiple occasions?" And just in case they forgot who he was talking about, Gunn waved at the 'dangerous ex-lawyer' sitting just in the other room, who to his dismay was laying quietly on the sofa curled snugly into a round little ball. "Damn'it, he just can't be trusted."

"There may have been some mitigating circumstances at play here. We don't think Lindsey had a choice in working with Wolfram and Hart." This time it was Angel sticking up for the lawyer, to everyone's surprise. His voice calm and collected as he pointed out some possible facts that the others were still missing.

"Oh, so he's finally managed to trick you with his sob stories. Let me guess, he pulled out those giant blue eyes and told you about his rough childhood that should excuse every bad thing he has ever done. He's not the only kid to have a tough upbringing, Angel, we didn't all turn to the dark side."

"That's not what I meant..."

"Forget it." Gunn snapped out "I'm going out for some air." And before anyone could say another word, the vampire hunter stormed out, leaving a trail of stubborn anger behind him.

"Ok then… What have the rest of you got planned?" Angel asked, trying to belay the built-up tension.

"Well, I thought I might take Lindsey shopping. And get him some clothes that actually fit." Cordelia stated before turning to the green demon who'd been lurking awkwardly at the side. "Lourne, you up for a little excursion?"

"Always."


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AN- Sorry it's been such a long time, but I needed to focus on one of my other stories (getting it edited and the final chapter done). I will also be going through the first few chapters (including this one), and improving on them, I just wanted to give you the rough draft of this chapter to show that I'm still committed to this story.

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