Chapter 8

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Angel snuck out of Sunnydale Highschool. He had done this in the old world, when Snyder was principal. Now Robin Wood principal, and he understood what really happened in Sunnydale. This place seemed much like he remembered, and Angel was very good at sneaking in and out of places. Angel saw some of the faces of the people in this school, teachers and students. He wondered, the people he had murdered in 1998 when he was Angelus. That whole Angelus incident never happened in this new world, so at least some of those people were still walking around. But Angel couldn't help but wonder how many of them would be alive for very long after Richard Wilkins was sworn in. Angel saw Dawn, apparently she was once again attending this school. He saw someone talking to her, a boy her age, this was possibly her boyfriend. And this was definitely a face that Angel recognized. He was slightly younger than Angel remembered him, probably a consequence of Buffy's wish. And he was definitely less jaded than Angel remembered him, but Angel would recognize this face anywhere. This was Angel's son Conner. Angel spoke to Buffy soon after.

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Angel: Is Dawn dating anyone?

Buffy: Yeah, Steven.

Angel: Steven, the name Holtz gave him.

Buffy: What do you mean?

Angel: I saw Connor, my son, talking with Dawn. In the old world at least, when Holtz stole Connor from me, he named him Steven.

Buffy: Oh boy. My sister is dating your son, we are definitely living in a soap opera.

Angel: Have you met either of "Steven's" parents?

Buffy: Just his father, he says his wife died years ago. He seemed okay, a little conservative maybe, but he said he didn't vote for Wilkins.

Angel: Yeah, because he's from the 18th century.

Buffy: I should definitely speak with him, soon.

Angel: Yeah, I'd like to speak with him too.

Buffy: We can't tell Spike this. Holtz probably dusted Drusilla, if Spike sees Holtz, probably won't end well for anyone.

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Buffy asked Steven's father to come over. Once he was inside, while Steven and Dawn were on a date, Buffy closed the door, and Angel appeared. Angel was right, he and Holtz immediately recognized each other. Holtz was older than Angel remembered, a consequence of being awoken 13 years older than in the old timeline. He had always feared this day would come.

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Holtz: Hello Angelus.

Angel: It's Angel now.

Holtz: So I've heard. Are you going to kill me?

Angel: Depends what you tell me. Tell me about the night you took my son.

Holtz: I should probably start earlier than that.

Angel: Fine.

Holtz: In the year 1773 I had been hunting Angelus and Darla for 9 years. The demon Sahjhan offered me the chance to exact revenge against them. Perhaps I should have rejected a demon's offer, or at least asked why he wanted them dead. But I took his help, and I slept for over 200 years, before finally waking in 1988. He led me right to Darla, and I saw her with a baby in her arms. Naturally I assumed she was planning to eat the baby, so I took it from her. But to my great shock she begged me not to harm the child. It soon became apparent that Darla had actually given this child life.

Angel: Wait, Darla gave birth?

Holtz: Evidently.

Angel: How? Her body wasn't equipped to bring a child to term.

Holtz: I don't know exactly how she did it. However it happened it left her weakened. It occurred to me that I had the chance to deprive Darla of her child, just as she and you had done to me.

Angel: Did you dust her?

Holtz: No, I wanted her to suffer. I trapped her in a nearby cave. Perhaps you even saw her trapped, but obviously you never entered the cave.

Angel: How do you know that?

Holtz: Because there is a barrier. It's similar to, I believe it's called, a roach motel. Once a vampire enters, they can never exit. Unless they take their own life, the vampire is stuck inside to rot away to a skeleton. The fact that you are standing here suggests you never followed her inside. I saw you that night, I even heard her crying to you for help, and I knew I was visiting upon you the pain you had brought to me. But Steven knows nothing about you, he's had a good life. Yet he finds himself attracted to the sister of the slayer.

Buffy: Technically I'm just a potential.

Holtz: Be that as it may, it would seem fate has a way of bringing certain people together.

Angel: So Darla is still out there?

Holtz: Unless she took her own life or somehow freed herself, she would be just a skeleton by now. Asleep, but still suffering.

Buffy: What about Drusilla?

Holtz: Who is that?

Buffy: Vampire, dark hair, clearly insane. Was she there that night?

Holtz: Darla and Angelus were the only vampires I saw that night.

Angel: I heard that she went to help Darla with her pregnancy, hasn't beeb seen since.

Holtz: If someone slayed her, it wasn't me.

Angel: What about Sahjhan? He wanted you to kill Darla because he fears that Connor, I mean Steven, will kill him one day.

Holtz: That became apparent when he asked me to kill the baby. He is trapped in a Resikhian urn above my fire place. I don't know how to destroy him, and I fear what he could do to my son. So for now he remains trapped in the urn. Are you planning to kill me now Angelus?

Angel: Angel. And no, provided that he remains safe.

Holtz: All I have done, was to protect my son.

Angel: Maybe it is best he not know where he comes from. But anything happens to him, I will hold you responsible, call me superstitious.

Holtz: I understand. But I will almost certainly die before he does. I would prefer not to see you for whatever remains of my life.

Angel: Fair enough.

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Holtz then went outside to leave. He heard a sound, near the trashcans. A wolf ran away from them. Holtz wondered, he had heard legends of some vampires who could turn themselves into wolves and other animals. But he had never seen it for himself, and in his experience legends were notoriously unreliable. But still, Holtz wondered, had a vampire just overheard their conversation? If so, to what end?