Chapter 3 – What's Inside?
"What The Hell!" With a startled yelp, Cordelia hastily covered her mouth, reconsidering her choice of words. "I mean... What happened? How did... That's not.." She didn't know what to say, or how to explain what she was seeing.
'Is that a kid?'
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"What the hell went wrong, Wesley? I thought we were getting Lindsey right before he signed his contract with Wolfram and Hart." Angel questioned, before lifting out the small child from inside the magical artifact and cradling him in his arms. "Wesley, why is he so… young?"
Angel tried not to jostle Lindsey too much on his walk over to the couch, not wanting to wake or hurt the young boy. However, there wasn't much of a need, as the child was now fully awake and marvelling at his surroundings. His tiny mouth hung open, as he squirmed around trying to get a better view of... well everything.
Much like the adult Lindsey, this younger version had a shoulder-length crop of light brown hair that often got in the way of his cornflower blue eyes. However, now his hair was curly, and when he tried to swipe the strands away with his two small and clumsy hands, they kept on jumping back again, like cute but annoying springy toys. Eventually, the little boy just gave up on his endeavour, choosing to investigate the enormous arms that carried him instead.
"I don't know," the watcher responded truthfully. "Unless he was taken in by them as a child... No, that doesn't make any sense, I guess we must have messed up somehow. But I'm not sure how. I mean, nothing in my research or calculations suggested anything like this could happen."
The child seemed tired of being carried, as they made their way into the main living areas, pushing his way out of Angel's arms and pouncing onto the next available cushion. He was kind of like a small kitten in a way, bouncing from one spot to another as he investigated this 'new place' with eager excitement.
The kid yelped after slightly misjudging the distance of his jump, and Cordelia couldn't help but chuckle, watching as Lindsey casually got up and carried on with his hunt to discover new things. "You know, he's kind of cute like this," she mentioned softly, a subtle smile spreading across her face.
"Yeah, well don't get too attached… Seriously, Wesley, there has to be a way to fix this?"
"Not without putting him in the box again... And I don't want to put a child near whatever monster made that sound."
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Lindsey remained on the couch, bouncing a small ball of paper he had discovered on the table, while the rest of the group turned away to consider their alternatives. Playing there gleefully for a few minutes he giggled to himself until he got distracted by someone new walking through the door, his keen eyes being the only ones to notice when the tall stranger paced into the room.
However, the fact that he was so very tall, and looking at him in such an alarming way didn't seem to faze Lindsey as he smiled up at the stranger, showing off a full set of baby teeth.
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As he walked down the steadily darkening street, Gunn's mind wandered into even gloomier pastures. Trapped by thoughts of enemies and their certainly evil intentions, the young hunter kept his pace slow, putting off his return for even just a few minutes.
'I mean, why can't they see that this is obviously some trap thought up by that conniving little lawyer, just so he can get into his boss' good books again? It's so frustrating, there are so many people in this world that deserve second chances, so why is it always rich little white boys that get 'em, and not the street kids that never get anything in life.'
Keeping his eyes cast downwards, Gunn carefully turned himself around making his return in the direction he had just come from.
Before long, he was tearing into the Hyperion's lobby, his furious footsteps abruptly stopped at the strange sight in front of him…
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"Hello."
The shock of being spoken to so directly by the small child, and with such confidence no less, had Gunn stumbling for a moment.
"Huh… Uh, hey guys, what's with the kid?" He asked the other adults in the room, before adding, "I thought we were getting the slimy lawyer back?" However, he received no response from them, probably because they were too deep in their own discussion.
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"What's a lawyer?" The child questioned curiously, trying his best to jump onto the new person's lap. He liked meeting new people, sometimes they were really nice and gave him candy or fruit. However, this new person dodged him and moved quickly away.
"They're people that help get criminals out of trouble, and some of them make deals with demons."
The kid thought on that for a moment before declaring, "my daddy's a crim-i-nal," the word sounded disjointed on his small tongue as he tried to sound the word out. "At least, that's what Mrs Watkins calls 'im. But no one gets 'im out of trouble... maybe he should get a lawyer."
"Yeah, sure," Gunn mumbled under his breath. He didn't really care what the kid was saying, he only wanted to hear the other conversation still happening in the corner of the room.
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The new person didn't look like he wanted to talk with him anymore, so Lindsey decided to go play by himself again.
Lindsey was feeling kind of itchy under his skin. Like sharp wiry hairs were lying just under the surface, waiting to push through. He'd felt this sensation before on many occasions and he knew what needed to be done... but he couldn't, not here anyway. Because if he did that, mama and daddy would be really mad, and they'd punish him.
'Oh, God! But it really itches. Maybe if no one sees me it will be alright. Those people ain't even lookin' at me.'
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Angel, Wesley, Lourne and Cordelia were still deep in conversation, neither one of them acknowledging Gunn's presence at all. It would annoy him, but it wasn't like it was the first time, and he hadn't been that cooperative earlier, so what should he expect?
He continued to loiter at the edge of the group, listening to their discussion whilst also keeping a subtle watch over the kid.
"I don't know what you want me to do here, Angel. I told you already that the box is the only way."
"We can't put a child in that thing. It's evil, and that little boy doesn't deserve whatever punishment waits for him in there."
He'd since realised the child was the same Lawyer that they'd been trying to rescue before he left earlier, and in Gunn's eyes that meant he needed extra vigilance before the kid could get himself in his usual sort of trouble.
"I never said anything about putting the kid back in there, Cordelia. I'm pretty sure I made my stance on that matter quite clear already."
"Well, find a new way then. We need to get Lindsey back to normal."
Gunn didn't know what all the fuss was about. The kid seemed pretty ok with the situation.
"Hey here's an idea," the hunter spoke up from his suclution. "Let's just drop him off at a police station and let them deal with it. Who knows, a new family might be able to raise him better so that he doesn't become an attorney for hellspawn."
It wasn't such a bad plan. The kid was kind of cute with that wide toothy grin, and large kitten-like eyes. He'd get adopted in no time. And not to mention the way he turns into a little white tiger cub, who could resist tha...
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
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The little white tiger cub sat on the sofa, gnawing on the corner of a cushion.
It seemed pretty calm given that under ten seconds ago it was a normal human child.
Okay, not normal, normal people don't make deals with demons, fight vampires, and fall into magical de-ageing boxes, but still. WHAT THE HELL!
Gunn was still trying to process what exactly it was he just witnessed.
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Lindsey was just sitting there playing catch with himself, minding his own business as the paper ball flew into the air when he started to look distracted, like maybe he felt ill or something and didn't know what to do about it. He did go a bit pale all of a sudden, and he had goosebumps as if he was cold or scared.
Gunn thought he might be nervous, wondering where his parents went and who these strange people were. I mean, who could blame the kid? But then something indescribable happened.
As the kid's whole body tensed, black and white fur started sprouting out of nowhere, covering every visible spot of exposed skin. His teeth grew large and pointy until they could barely fit in his mouth, and tiny whiskers poked out from his cherubby cheeks.
Sitting there, the hunter wondered if that would be the end of it, if those were all the changes that would appear, but suddenly a tail caught the corner of his eyes as hands and feet transformed into paws.
If he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes Gunn wouldn't have believed a word of it, but in the end, it only took a few seconds for the young kid to be switched with an equally young tiger.
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"Guys, I think you need to see this," He shouted, his gaze never leaving presence on the sofa.
"It's ok Gunn, we know about the kid that's what we're trying to sort out," Angel commented, not bothering to look at his friend or see what he was pointing to.
"I ain't talkin' about the kid... well I am, but not in the way you think. Just… Look." Holding up the small cub by the scruff of his neck, he shoved the creature into their faces.
"Gunn we need to… Where the bloody hell did you get a tiger cub from?" Wesley questioned as Angel exclaimed, "What have you done with Lindsey?"
"That's what I'm tryin' to tell you. This is Lindsey," he waved the animal in the air, not stopping even as it became rattled by the sudden movement. "I was just watching him play, then he turned into… this."
Lindsey's head was bouncing all over the place, his soft blue eyes growing wide and dazed.
"Will you stop shaking him about like that, you're going to make him sick," Cordelia chided the hunter as she reached for the cub and held it in the crook of her arm like an infant. Then, with a concerned look on her face, she turned towards the watcher. "Do you think we can turn him back, Wes?"
"Well, maybe?"
"Maybey…"
"Some magical creatures are able to control their transformations. It may be possible that Lindsey can too, he just needs to feel ready and calm." Wesley explained, before addressing the vampire directly. "Maybe if you spoke to him Angel, and asked him gently, he might turn back."
Angel was hesitant at first, not sure that this was going to work, or that he possessed the kind of gentleness the job needed. But it was the only idea they had, and they kind of needed the boy back if he was going to answer their sudden abundance of questions.
So, with a cautious step forward, the vampire knelt down until he was a little above eye level with the cub that was now perched on the tabletop, his voice soft as he spoke calmly to the young boy within.
"OK Lindsey. If you can, I would really appreciate it if you to change back into a human right now." There was no response, just some soft mulling. "Lindsey, it's ok. I promise we're not mad at you, we just want to talk… Lindsey?"
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After a long pause, with the team holding bated breaths, the cub looked up at Angel and slowly nodded his head, fur shedding shortly afterwards as the transformation began to reverse.
"Oh my God, Lindsey, are you ok?" Cordelia asked, scooping the boy up and placing him onto the soft couch cushion.
"I'm fine, ma'am. Sorry if I scared y'all." He lowered his head as if he was expecting punishment of some kind. His small button nose gently rubbing against the smooth material of Cordelia's shirt as he sunk down in shame. "Mamma and Daddy always warned me not t' let the kitty out around people, but it itches so badly sometimes if I don't do it."
"That's ok. We just weren't expecting it is all," the young receptionist quickly jumped to his defence. "You can shift in front of us if you need to, anytime. Does this mean you control your transformations then, Lindsey? And choose when they happen?"
"Sometimes. I'm gettin' better at it. But when I get scared or angry the kitty comes out without me tellin' it to. That's when I get in trouble."
"Who do you get in trouble with, Lindsey?" Angel broke in suddenly, concern lacing his deep voice.
"Mamma and Daddy." The child admitted quietly, tears starting to well behind a sombre gaze, as he chewed on a nervous-looking lip. "They don't like the kitty, say it's a demon that lives insi' me, and it makes me evil an' naughty." His sullen eyes then hardened as he strongly declared. "But they're wrong, I know they are."
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"Wesley, I need you to find out what Lindsey is exactly. Once we know that, I think we'll find the answers to our other questions."
At Angel's instruction, the watcher left the others in order to start his research. That left Angel, Cordelia and Gunn to discuss their current predicament, whilst Lourne sat in the living area with Lindsey as he watched cartoons.
"And what should we do with him in the meantime?" Cordelia questioned. They all knew her stance on the matter, not that anyone seemed to care.
"I still think sending him to a foster home is a sound plan," Gunn responded in a mocking tone, despite being truly serious about his suggestion.
"And how do we explain the whole, turning into a tiger thing to them?"
"Come on Angel, there's got to be a social system for supernatural creatures out there." The hunter turned to what he thought was probably the most reasonable voice in the room currently. "I'm sure there are some demons that have to adopt to start a family. Little Lindsey will feel right at home."
"We're not sending him to live with demons. Jesus Gunn, we just went through hell trying to get him away from them, why would we send him back?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"We should keep him." Cordelia tried to argue, only to be cut off with a firm "Hell no!" from Gunn.
"Gunns right, we can't keep him, Cordelia," Angel tried to reason. "Besides, he's a child, that takes a lot of responsibility."
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"I'm sorry, this is all I have Lindsey," Angel apologized, pulling out the first thing he found from the drawer next to his closet. Cordelia was going to pick something up and bring it around the next morning, but for now, he was stuck wearing one of the vampire's t-shirts that ran all the way down to his bony knees.
As the night grew later and closer to dawn, the team had left for the respective boat holds for the time being, leaving Angel alone to carry the small boy up to bed, a feat that proved more challenging than expected.
In his large, callused hands, the vampire felt how fragile and listless the kid's limbs were, his skin thin and delicate to the touch, as if he hadn't drunk in days. His cheekbones, shoulders, and knees stood out in stark contrast on his slight frame, and as Angel tried to reposition his grip on the youngster so he could place the t-short over his head, the bones appeared to shift beneath his palm.
He had eventually managed to wrestle the kid into some clothes, the cub's tiny legs getting tangled in the fabric as giggled and laughed at the funny faces the vampire was making, and now he was tucking the boy under two layers of blankets.
With the peace and quiet finally starting to settle around him, Angel pondered how strange the day had actually been.
'Not just the magical de-aging aspect or even the discovery of lycanthropy, but also how calm Lindsey was despite all this. Shouldn't he be crying or asking where his parents are?'
"You don't seem all that alarmed, to say that you just woke up here with a bunch of strangers looking over you?"
Lindsey shrugged at the statement, reaching over to put his now empty cup on the bedside table, before carefully wiping the milk moustache from his upper lip. "It's not the first time it happened. The people are always takin' me away, so I used to it now."
And that was another thing that surprised Angel, he hadn't expected the child to be so articulate even with his southern drawl.
Looking at him, you would assume Lindsey was about three years old, four at a push, given his height and lack of development. However, the way he spoke made him seem so much older. And yes, the lawyer was always clever, his strict attention to detail and strong strategist mind were often the reasons he won some of the most impossible-looking cases, but still…
"Can I ask you how old you are, Lindsey?"
Tired eyes gleamed up at Angel as the kid stretched out his hand. "Five," he spoke quietly into the palm of his other hand.
And he guessed that answered at least one question then. He's just small for his age, and the previous observation of undernourishment was probably another contributing factor. It made Angel think back to the conversation he had with the young lawyer, where he spoke about how poor his family was and the struggles they faced. And now he felt guilty about the way he blew the guy off and acted like his troubles were nothing.
Still, none of this explained how Wolfram and Hart got involved.
"Lindsey… Have you seen anyone new around lately, a man maybe, in a suit talking to your parents or Ms Casey?" It was probably a shot in the dark, but if the boy knew anything…
"Umm, yeah," the kid answered, nodding solemnly as he pulled himself further under the blanket as if he were hiding. "Mamma an' Daddy said they were gonna sell me to 'im. Said that they were gonna be rich an' never have to see my ugly demon face ever again. Are you goin' to take me to 'im… the scary man with the weird smile?"
"Oh, no. We actually..." Think you idiot, "…brought you instead… We don't like that man either, so we wanted to get you away from him. Make sure you and your… kitty are safe."
And just like that, the kid's eyes lit up like fireflies, growing exceedingly large under messy brown curls that really needed a trim. "Does that mean I live here now?"
"Oh, I..."
"Because I likes this place, it's big, and warm, and Miss 'Delia gave me soup."
"Well err…" Fuck. "We'll talk about it in the morning. For now, I think it's time you get some sleep." Angel avoided, as he made sure the kid was fully tucked in and as comfortable as possible. He was just turning away ready to hit the light switch, when a small voice mumbled, "Goodnight Mr. Angel. And thank you for savin' me."