Chapter 8 – Counting Cubs

The solarium had undergone a major transformation over the last couple of months, gradually turning from the abandoned junk room at the back of the hotel to a bright open space draped in multiple shades of blue and yellow. Dusty tables and worn-out chairs that had once graced the Hyperion's grand ballroom had been replaced by softly coloured furniture, hanging ornaments that resembled stars and planets, and boxes brimming with all the wooden toys and cuddly things a young boy could wish for. All this, and with room still left to spare for more of whatever else the team wanted to buy for the kid.

He hadn't had much in his short life, the least we can do now is make sure he feels happy and content.

However, the biggest change, without a doubt, was the newly replaced windows with their one-way glass, heavily draped with dark blue curtains that stayed open at night so the weretiger could always see the moon.

Currently, Lindsey was sitting on his canopy-style bed, atop his favourite set of solar system-themed bed sheets. Around him lay books and papers, most of them covered in the tiger cub's childish scrawl, whilst Wesley sat across the room with his legs tucked snuggly under a small oak desk.

As per usual, the watcher was talking endlessly about a book it would seem, his arms flailing about in time to his impassioned speech. Speaking about something to do with C.S. Lewis's use of metaphors and symbolism in an apparent 'children's story', as if that made the lecture any more relevant.

"... and that's why the people theorise that the character is a representation of the author's thoughts and feelings about the role of God and the afterlife.

"Hey Wes..." Angel interrupted, strolling in gracefully with a plate balanced on his right hand. "Isn't that a bit advanced for the cub? I thought Curios George would be more suitable?" The vampire teased, carefully passing the young boy his lunch, who then added, "Mr Wesley was talkin' funny again." For which he got a playful pat on the head.

"Yes well," Wes straightened his glasses. "We were talking about mythical creatures and their influence on literature, and I may have gotten a little carried away."

With his lunch now in front of him, a simple cheese sandwich with a side of grapes and cookies, Lindsey happily took a bite, soft bread filling up his cheeks like a chipmunk storing its food, crumbs around his cheerfully grinning mouth.

"So what have you been learning Linny?" Angel asked, like he did every day at around this time, no matter if the answer never really differed, that much.

"Well, first we did some reading, I got to read the book by myself with only a little bit of help this time. And then we practised writing letters."

"Sounds fun."

"It is," the cub agreed, nodding his head vigorously. "But now we're doing numbers. I can count really high, you wanna see?"

"Sure thing Lin."

And as Lindsey started counting the little plastic teddy bears that Wesley put out for him, Angel took the opportunity to talk to his watcher in one of the room's many corners.

"Hard to believe it's been two months already." The vampire whispered, ducking his head low but still angling it so he could watch what the young boy was doing.

"Yeah, little rascal sure has kept us busy."

And that was true even with Lourne's careful plans put in place.

During the past couple of months, the team had worked hard at getting the young cub into a suitable routine, one that balanced education and fun whilst still taking care of Lindsey's basic needs. It was a lot, even with the three of them taking their fair share of responsibilities, however none of them seemed to mind much at all.

The green demon in particular had grown fond of the kid and the time they spent together, listening to music and talking about how it made the little were-cub feel. And the child was starting to show a lot of promise at possibly playing a few instruments someday, much to the team's delight.

But what had really surprised Angel the most, was the obvious joy that Lindsey took in learning.

Now clearly the adult Lindsey had been smart, you don't just get law degrees freely handed to you. But the vampire hadn't realised just how intelligent and motivated the young Texan really was.

It was almost like he became bewitched whenever every time a book was placed in front of him, eagerly and effortlessly taking in every small molecule of information, before seeking out further learning through thoughtfully considered questions and theories.

And even more surprisingly, not even Wesley's unique teaching style, which often had Angel's head feeling like it was going to explode, had managed to stop the young student's insatiable thirst for knowledge. No, Lindsey just adapted, making the lessons like a game in which he tried to take in as much as he could understand, which was honestly, quite a lot.

"He sure is doing a lot better these days."

"Yeah, he's a bright spark."

...

...

...

"Hey, Angel..."

"SEVENTEEN! Counted thems' all Mr Wesley." The kid gleamed before hurrying back to the food he'd left abandoned on his plate, leaving the adults to look at him in wonder and contentment.

"You heard anything from... You know?" Wesley asked, his voice showing a little concern in its shakiness.

"No. And I don't know whether to be worried about that. I mean, you would have thought they would have tried something by now, while we were still off balance. But there's been nothing."

"Maybe they're not interested in getting Lindsey back."

"You really think so? After what trouble they went through keeping him the first time." Angel shook his head in firm yet solemn disagreement. "Wes, you didn't see how frightened Lindsey was, in that warehouse. He'd clearly been kept against his will, doing things that he knew in his heart was wrong. And I think in the end, throwing himself in that box, knowing full well what waited for him, was his only means of escape."

It was a harrowing thought, and this wasn't the first time either man had considered it.

However...

"Let's just leave it for now, Angel. It's no use fretting and getting yourself worked up on 'what ifs'. We should just enjoy this time with Lindsey while we still can."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The vampire questioned, genuinely confused about what the watcher was speaking about.

"Well, I just assumed that soon, you would be putting the kid in school, so you, me and Cord could get back to work. You know, fighting the good fight and all that."

"I guess..." Angel paused for a moment. "Not yet though. We still aren't sure how Lindsey may react to the outside world, and how well he can control his tiger if things get too stressful or exciting." Another pause as the vampire thought some more. "In fact, we should do some test runs. Maybe a trip to the park could be good."

.

.

.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in a high-rise on the other side of LA...

"Why haven't we gone after him yet?" The lawyer questioned, storming into her boss's office, heels clicking against the hardwood floor. The man she was speaking to didn't even flinch or turn at her harsh tone. "I mean, the more time he spends with those do-gooders, the harder it will be to convert him to our side when the time comes."

"Patience Lila," Manners chided, tutting his tongue as if he was speaking to an insulant school child "I have a plan in the works." He then turned in his seat so he could lean over his desk, his eyes glaring, and lips curling like a snake targeting its prey. "You see, this time. Lila, I want our precious little Lindsey so twisted up when we retrieve him, that he never even thinks about disobeying us ever again."