Chapter 10 – Future Waits For No-Were


It was a clear and cloudless day in uptown Los Angeles, the autumn chill growing colder as it moved closer to winter despite the bright sun sitting high in the crisp blue sky.

Cordelia was spending the day sitting on a park bench, watching the young cub closely whilst enjoying a warm cup of coffee. Lindsey of course, was happily playing on a wooden castle in what was quickly becoming his favourite place to play, a few other children joining in on the fun as they pretended to be nights fighting a dragon. It was a sight the young lady had experienced quite a few times now, being the only one other than Wesley who could spend time in the open sunlight, however, she found that she never grew tired of it, nor the sound of Lindsey's laughter as he leapt from one pillar from another.

A few minutes went by, her drink cooling even further, when another young woman, close to Cordelia's own age, approached her casually.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" The stranger asked, pointing with her own drink at the empty seat at Cordelia's left.

"No, help yourself."

"Thank you."

With a bit of shuffling and a few quietly spoken words, the young lady settled down, talking quickly with the small boy who Cordelia hadn't noticed before. The child with his short blond hair escaped quickly with his mother's permission, sprinting quickly towards the group still playing on the large wooden structure in the middle of the park.

For a moment, Cordelia's thoughts strayed as she watched the tiny kid run with such excitement.

In truth, it wasn't that long ago that she was sat on this same bench for the first time, unable to lessen her grip on Lindsey's coat so he could run free. She was just so afraid that the tiny cub may lose control of himself, or that the other boys wouldn't accept him, that she was frightened to let him go. Worries that now, seemed so ridiculous when another child embraced Lindsey without a second's hesitation.

It was quite surprising actually, that Lindsey was so confident around other children, considering how much of his life he had spent behind closed doors.

...

"Is he yours?" The stranger sitting next to Cordelia asked sweetly, signalling toward where Lindsey had landed at the bottom of the tall spiral slide. He'd kicked up a huge cloud of dust as he shoved his feet into the ground, before shooting back up the climbing rope.

"Sort of... He's a friend of mine's foster son. I'm just looking after him because his dad works nights."

"That's sweet. How old is he, if you don't mind me asking that is?"

"Five."

"Really?" The woman seemed shocked at that if the widened eyes and slightly spilt coffee were anything to go by. Although she soon settled down again with a fresh blush to her cheeks. "I mean, I thought he was younger than that. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

"No, it's ok, we actually get that a lot." Because despite everything they had done for the boy, all the healthy meals and regular snacks, he was still suffering slightly from malnutrition and its effect on his height would probably never be reversed.

With the soft clemency offered to her, the woman nodded, taking a careful sip of her drink before slipping back into silence. It wasn't for a few minutes later that the lady asked, "Surprised I haven't seen either of you in the school's playground. Do you attend somewhere out of district?"

"Well, ummm... Actually, we've only just moved into the area, so Lindsey has been home-schooled until we could place him somewhere."

"Oh, well if you're looking for recommendations, the school just down the road from here is very good. My Tommy just loves it there, and he's made great improvements in his reading and counting."

And before Cordelia could say anything, the stranger who still hadn't offered her name was passing the 'Angel Investigations' receptionist a small post-it note with details for the local elementary school written on it.

"Thanks, I'll get his dad to give it some thought."

.

.

.

"Angel, we're back," Cordelia called out as she walked through the door, her steps hurried as she ushered her young charge out of the cold. "Come on Lindsey let's get this coat off of you and then you can warm yourself up next to the fire."

Her plan, however, didn't last long before Angel and Wesley entered the room. The older of the two giving a rare smile as he approached the young boy who was struggling with his buttons.

"Hey, did everything go ok?" The vampire inquired as he bent down to pick up Lindsey, lifting the pup over his shoulder and carrying him to the main seating area so he could help him out of his coat and shoes.

"It went perfectly. There were no ears or tails, and Linsey even managed not to growl or purr at anyone today."

"That's great." Wes then interjected, chuckling as the child in question rushed right past him, now free of his jacket and gloves. "He's really getting a handle on his control, and not letting his more feline instincts run wild." And as if to prove his teacher's point, the young cub barrelled head first into a nearby wall – too excited to look where he was going – however, even with his bell rung, he didn't shift, not even his eyes or ears.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking," Cordelia responded, her mouth twisted and lips bitten as she pondered how she needed to word her next sentence. After a while, however, she decided to just say what she was thinking, no bells and whistles, just her honest feelings on the matter. "And so that's why I decided it was time we look into putting Lindsey into school."

"Corde..."

"No Angel, I know what you're going to say, but I was speaking to a lady at the park who has a son Lindsey's age, and she says the local school is really good and would probably take him in as a late enrolment... I mean, he could really do with getting used to people his own age and maybe making some friends. Don't you think?"

"Cordelia," Angel sighed, shaking his head as he looked down toward his feet. "It's not that simple and you know it."

"What's not that simple?" Gunn asked, being dragged into the conversation by the tiger cub, who then ran away shouting that blankets were needed for their Fort, bringing a small smile to the hunter's face. In truth, the hunter had grown quite fond of the little were-cub, despite all his efforts to distance himself, and even though he tried to hide it, he could not help but look out for the kid with a protective gaze. "We got another case already?"

"No, we were just talking about Lindsey and whether he's ready for school." Wes then answered nonchalantly, completely ignoring the shock on his friend's face as he instead started arranging pillows for Lindsey's den.

"No. Absolutely not. That is a completely terrible idea. What if he loses control and shifts? He could really hurt someone."

"Lin would never do that, Gunn. He's worked really hard so he could appear normal. And isn't that why we started taking him out on these trips in the first place? To see how he can manage. He's done really well, and we haven't had any incidents in almost a month. Isn't that right Wesley?"

"She has a point." The watcher supported his friend's position. "He has proved himself perfectly capable of containing his magic, so maybe it's time we loosened the reigns." All this was said with Cordelia nodding fervently in the background.

"I guess..."

"Angel there's still other issues that we aren't considering." Gunn turned toward the vampire, hearing a subtle shift in his friend's voice that suggested he was actually coming around to this ludicrous idea. "What if he gets hurt in the playground and some kid sees his super healing? Or, what if he gets excited and starts talking about magic or demons."

Gun paused in his rant, taking a moment to catch his breath and calm his racing mind. However, no amount of deep breathing could stop his mind from drifting to one certain thought...

'What if he gets in trouble and we're not there to protect him.'

.

.

Meanwhile...

"I guarantee, Mr Mannors, if you choose to acquire our services you will not be disappointed," a humanoid-looking demon spoke from across the room, crossing his legs over and leaning back to make himself more comfortable. His identical brother and business partner sat next to him, smirking in a way that showed his undeniable confidence.

"I am glad to hear that," Holland exclaimed, a sly grin creeping across his face before he hastily schooled his expression. "I was told by our mutual acquaintance that you are heavily experienced in regard to certain types of creatures. As I am sure you are aware, the target that you will be acquiring for me is very rare and needs to be handled with the utmost care."

"I assure you, my brother and I have an extensive background in dealing with were-children, Mr Mannors." The second demon spoke up, gesturing to him and his brother respectively. "Your young ward will be returned to you in pristine condition. You have my word."

"Very good. I will see you when the task is complete, and then as promised your deposit will be transferred to you by daybreak."

From behind his desk, Mannors reached out for a handshake with the two hired demons before turning away and looking out of his high-rise, allowing his young associate to show them out.

...

"Did you need me for anything else sir?" Lila asked as she walked back into the room, observing Mannors as he stood stoically in the growing quiet.

The senior partner was still staring out of his office window, his face bathed in the red afterglow of the setting sun, as he brushed her inquiry away with a silent hand gesture. And she was about to follow the instruction when something stopped her.

"Excuse me sir," Lila spoke up, nervous about interrupting her boss, who appeared to be deep in concentration, most likely plotting the next 10 steps in his current master plan. However, a sudden question entered her mind, one she couldn't ignore. "I was just wondering... What he was like as a child? Lindsey, I mean. Was it difficult to raise him?

...

I'm sorry it is none of my buis..."

"No, no, you're alright." Holland waved her off, turning back to Lila with a thoughtful look on his face. His mind wandering, quite fondly, to all the years he spent with the were-tiger. "He was actually quite an easy child to govern. Surprising, I know, given how he turned out. But he was always so quiet and well-behaved back in his younger days. And he took to his studies very quickly."

"Was it your idea for him to train as a lawyer?" Lila pondered, intrigued to find out more about Lindsey's rise to such prestige in the LA law scene. Wondering if it would have happened if he hadn't been mentored by the man standing before her.

"Probably," Mannors shrugged. "But he was such a prodigy I am certain that he would have chosen that route without my tutorage. Even at eleven years old, his ability to argue his case was just so... Beautiful, like a wild tiger circling his prey, so elegant and poised. And then when he pounced, tearing into his opponent without a single hesitation... God it just..." The look on Holland's face as he paused on that thought was quite... disturbing. Almost predator-like, sending a chill down Lila's spine. Still, she couldn't help but agree with the older man's opinion, having seen the Lawyer in court a number of times.

In fact, she found herself excited by the prospect of helping to cultivate that same passion and talent for a second time. Because, "when we get him back, we will make him into that great lawyer again. And, we can make him even better, more ruthless this time, so he will never consider opposing us again."

"That sure would be a sight to behold."