Connor moved behind the door. He was wearing only a pair of white boxers. “Look, I . . . I need to talk to you. About this. You guys come on in, just, like, give me a minute to get some clothes on.”
“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” Cordelia said under her breath.
“Please don’t remind me,” Angel frowned as he stepped through the doorway into Eve’s apartment.
“Ewww! I didn’t mean that. I meant when he was a baby.”
“You knew me when I was a baby?” Connor asked as he leaned his head out of the bedroom. He was wearing a pair of jeans, but still had no shirt on.
“What? No. No I meant someone else.”
“When I went to put clothes on, you said it wasn’t anything you hadn’t seen before.”
“I just meant guys in general.”
Angel glanced at his son, then did a double take. “Connor, what happened to your ribs?”
“What?” Connor ducked into the bedroom, but Angel followed him.
“Here.” Angel pointed to several razor cuts across Connor’s ribs.
“They’re cuts.” Connor pulled a shirt on.
“From what?”
“It’s not . . . it’s none of your business. I don’t want to talk about cuts. It’s Eve. I know she’s not supposed to like, date clients, but I don’t really deal with her professionally.”
Angel was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He wanted to tear her limb from limb. “Don’t worry about her job, Connor. I can’t fire her.”
Angel turned and stormed from the apartment.
Cordelia lingered a moment smiling at Connor. It was nice to see him so happy and well-adjusted. “I’m going to go with him. It’s . . . .it’s really nice to see you again.”
Cordelia caught up with Angel, who was already dreaming up the seventh way to rip Eve apart. “Son of a bitch!”
“What, Angel? What is it?”
“He lives there.”
“What?” Cordy looked back at the apartment. “How do you get that?”
“He invited me in. If he can invite me, then he must reside in the domicile. I’m going to kill her.”
*
“I’m going to kill you!” Angel shouted as he slammed Eve against the wall of his office. “You had Lorne’s memory sucked after he read Connor and you’re living with my son!”
“I didn’t do anything to Lorne. I was standing next to you when all that happened. Remember?”
Angel gripped Eve’s throat. “And Connor? How long have you been living with him?”
Eve gasped for breath and squirmed.
“Angel!” Cordy said, grabbing his arm. “She needs air to speak.”
“I’ve been seeing him since not long after we met. He just moved in a few days ago. He was spending so much time either at my place or on the road, we didn’t see the point of separate residences. It’s not something I planned, Angel. It just happened.”
“Of course you planned it,” Cordelia interjected. “You’re Wolfram & Hart. You have the most unique creature on the face of the planet right under your nose. Why wouldn’t you want to exploit him further; make him love you.”
“That’s not what-“
“Shut up!” Angel shouted. The familiar scent, the scent of his food, had come to him. He looked down to see the blood soaking through Eve’s blouse. Angel ripped her shirt open and looked at the neat razor cuts across her ribs. Angel slamming her around had ripped the cuts open.
“Wow,” Cordy said. “They match Connor’s pretty much perfectly. Was it like a his and hers thing?”
Eve pulled away from Angel and pulled her blouse shut. “Hate to be the one to tell you this, but no matter how many well adjusted memories we gave him, Connor still has a bit of a dark side. Maybe it’s the fact that his parents were vampires, but the kid likes his little games.”
Wesley stepped into the room to see Eve holding her blouse shut while Angel stood menacingly close to her and Cordlei watched. “I seem to be interrupting.”
“We’re just interrogating your evil liaison,” Cordy said. “You’re free to join.”
“I found your demons,” Wesley said.
“We found our demons,” Gunn corrected as he entered behind Wesley.
Wesley turned and looked disbelievingly at Gunn. “You looked at a picture I showed you in a book and said ‘Yeah, that’s the demon.’ You were hardly party to the research.”
Angel shoved Eve away from him. “Less bickering. More answers.”
“They’re Kith'Harn demons,” Wesley said proudly. “In Los Angeles, they mostly serve as the private body guards to a dark demon wizard named Cyvus Vail.”
Angel nodded. “Where do we find him?” Eve motioned nervously toward Angel.
“Problem,” Gunn said.
“A problem for you,” Wesley interrupted. “Not for me.”
Gunn ignored Wes and continued. “Vail has big magic. And he’s a big client of the firm. Wolfram & Hart won’t help us on this one and I don’t think we have the mojo to bring him down ourselves.”
“Whereas I think we do,” Wes added. “Not to mention, this is a superb chance to test this branch’s loyalties. Do they answer to us, or are they still the minions of the Senior Partners and their demon clients?”
“I agree with Wes,” Angel said. “Gunn. Get your security detail ready. We’re going in hot.”
Gunn and Wes left the room. Eve quickly moved in front of Angel.
“You can’t move on Vail!”
Angel shoved her out of his way. “Eve, I want to hear from you now like I want . . . okay, I can’t think of a good simile right now. But shut up or I’ll bite you.”
“Like father like son,” Eve quipped.
Angel back handed Eve across her face, knocking her against the wall. “Don’t ever speak of my son like that.”
“Cyvus Vail is the magician Wolfram & Hart used to change Connor. He rewrote Connor’s memories and the memories of everyone else involved. If you go after him with force, he could undo that Angel. Hell, he might not even have to undo it. Maybe just killing him would end the spell.”
Angel sunk into the chair behind his desk. He hit the intercom and called Wesley. “Change of plan. We’re not going in heavy with Vail. Bring me his file and I’ll see how we might be able to negotiate with him.”
“Angel, I think I’d be better suited for putting together a negotiation strategy with a dark wizard.”
“I don’t want any argument on this Wes. Just bring me the file.”
“Not as easy as you thought, is it?” Cordelia said bitterly. “You thought you could cut one deal and sweep the whole mess under the rug. Everything would be perfect and no one would ever know. But you should have known better that that, Angel. It’s magic. And what lesson have we learned more thoroughly and more painfully than the lesson that magic always has a price.”
“Wow,” Eve laughed. “I’d heard you were a sanctimonious bitch, but until I heard it for myself, I never could have imagined.”
“You’re right, Cordy.” Angel turned and looked out the windows. He was staring into a sunrise. This seemingly peaceful tableau was in fact a completely unnatural moment. Angel knew he shouldn’t be able to look at a sunset. That was the very essence of his deal with Wolfram & Hart. Everything seemed normal. Better. But in truth, it was all completely wrong.
“Wow.” Cordy was totally taken aback by this. Angel never admitted he was wrong. About anything.
“But what can I do about it now?” Angel asked.
“Take out Vail. End the spell.”
“But Connor-”
“Connor was a good kid even before this spell, Angel. He fought for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. He protected the innocent. The helpless. Like you did. And if you spend time with him and work with him, if we all pull together like the family we always said we were . . . We don’t need Wolfram & Hart to fix our problems. If we look to each other, we can fix our own.”
“It’d be nice if it were all that simple, cup cake,” Eve interrupted. “But Connor wasn’t just a poor kid in need of some guidance. He spent sixteen years in a hell dimension. On top of the violence of Quar’Toth, the mental scars it created, you have to realize that Connor absorbed that. The energy, the darkness of the place. You felt it when he tried to kill you, Cordelia. You really want to put that back inside of him?”
Angel looked at Cordelia. “We see what Vail wants. If it’s reasonable, then we deal.”
Cordelia threw her arms up angrily. “Fine, Angel. Keep bargaining. Keep sinking more and more pieces of your soul into this place. That sounds like a great plan. Good luck with that!” Cordy turned and stormed out.
*
“Ahhhh, Mister Angel. How wonderful to meet you at last.” Vail looked at Wes and Gunn. “And I see you’ve brought your illustrious associates. I’ve heard so much about you all.”
“Save the flattery,” Wes said boldly. “We’re uninterested in small talk. What we are interested in is the urn you took from these illustrious associates last night.”
“I see,” Vail rasped. “Unfortunately the urn is of great value to me. You see, the demon who resides inside of it has sworn some kind of blood oath of vengeance against me. For what, I’m not quite sure. But his attempts to dispatch me have proven quite inconvenient over the years.”
Gunn gave an appreciative laugh.
Angel gave Gunn a scolding look. “Don’t laugh at the enemy’s jokes!”
“Sorry.”
“It would appear our interests are aligned,” Wesley said. “Provided, of course, you’re being forthright with us.”
“If I intended to aid Sahjhan, I would have already released him from his urn, yes? I have a long and fruitful relationship with Wolfram & Hart. I can’t imagine why that wouldn’t continue.”
“I assume you’re about to offer some kind of bargain,” Wesley inferred.
Vail nodded. “Sahjhan has proven particularly difficult to kill over the years. There are scrolls in your possession which may hold the key to the means of his demise. If I were given access to Wolfram & Hart’s records on this matter, perhaps I could find those means and eliminate our mutual pest.”
“I’m not prepared to allow you to search our records,” Wesley protested. “However, if you’ll give me what information you have, I will certainly follow up on it to find Sahjhan’s Achilles heel, as it were.”
“You drive a hard bargain Mister Pryce. However, I agree to your terms. My aid Carlisle will assist you with my own information on Sahjahn. In the meantime, the urn will remain in my possession.”
Wesley looked at Angel, who nodded. “Agreed,” the watcher said.
*
“Cordelia,” Fred said, running to catch up to her. She followed Cordy out the front door. “How are you? I was hoping maybe we could have lunch or go shopping.”
“Not really in the mood.”
“You’re not in the mood to eat or shop. Wow. Something must definitely be wrong.”
“I’ve already spoken to Lorne. I’m not evil.”
“I didn’t mean that. But Cordy, something’s wrong. What is it?”
“You guys shouldn’t have come here. This place is a trap, Fred.”
“Wesley, Lorne, and I have been discussing just that lately. We’re a little concerned about Angel and Gunn. They seem like they’ve been . . . never mind.”
“No. What?”
“They just seem like they’ve been hiding things lately. That’s all.”
“I can’t speak for Gunn, but Angel’s definitely been hiding things lately.”
Fred’s face fell. “You know what it is?”
“What? No. I’m just . . . I’m angry at him. It’s like Wolfram & Hart are holding him hostage by threatening . . .” She broke off, knowing she shouldn’t continue. “You know. They’re threatening to do evil if he doesn’t keep an eye on them.”
Cordy thought back to what Eve said. They’d put all that dark energy back. They’d put it back. “Oh my god.”
“What? What’s wrong now?”
“Nothing,” Cordy said. “Just . . . energy.”
“Cool stuff, ain’t it.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Hey! You’re a physicist. You know all about that stuff.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m an expert or-”
“Can it, modesty girl. I need energy info and you need to give it to me.”
“Shoot.”
Cordy struggled on how to put it. “If there were energy and it were, I don’t know . . . taken away somehow. But the people who took it said they could put it back, that means they’d have to store it somewhere, right? I mean, it’s not like they just said poof, it’s gone.”
“Energy can’t go poof. That’s the first law of thermodynamics. Matter and energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. They can only be altered in form.”
“Right!” Cordelia said happily.
“So you figured something out about Wolfram & Hart’s evil plans?”
“Actually, I really haven’t. But I feel like I know something important.”
*
“Hey,” Eve said into the telephone. “How’s Detroit.”
“Sucks,” Connor said, smiling shyly as he glanced around the locker room. “But the game went well. We won tonight. I scored two goals.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I was watching the game. Duh?”
“So, has Angel come and talked to you yet?”
“Yes.” Eve sat back, not really wanting to discuss this. “Everything’s fine. He’s not happy about us, but there’s not much he can do.”
“I’m still sorry I caused you work problems.”
“You can make it up to me,” Eve smiled seductively.
“Really?” Connor smiled and glanced around, knowing this would probably get dirty. “How?”
“You have groupies, right?”
“What? No. Not really.”
“Sure you do. I’ll bet if you go out in the lobby you can find all sorts of girls who want to have sex with you.”
“Too bad for them, huh? I’m taken.”
“Well,” Eve twisted the phone chord. “I was thinking maybe one of them could get lucky.”
“By hooking up with another hockey player?” Connor didn’t like where this was going.
Eve sighed in frustration. “I want you to take a groupie up to your room and have sex with her while you tell me what you’re doing over the phone.”
“What?” Connor shouted. “I’m not doing that!”
“Why not?”
“Um, because I have a girlfriend.”
“Who wants you to do this.”
“I don’t want to do it. Are you having sex with other guys?”
“Of course not. Unless you want me to.”
“I don’t.”
“But I do want you to do this for me. Come on, Connor. You said you were ready for an adult relationship.”
Connor angrily left the locker room and headed for the privacy of the waiting car. “This isn’t adult, it’s bullshit! It’s bad enough you make me do that other stuff-”
“Make you? So you don’t like it?”
Connor got in the back of the limo waiting for him and put up the divide. “I do it because you like it. So, no. Actually, I don’t like it. I don’t like cutting your ribs. I don’t like pulling your hair or handcuffing you or any of that other stuff. I don’t want an adult relationship. I want a healthy one. So is that what you want?”
“There’s nothing unhealthy about what we do.”
“Cutting yourself is unhealthy. Asking a guy to shove you around is unhealthy.” Connor began sniffling, trying not to cry. “I . . . I really like you Eve. I really do. But I can’t do this stuff anymore. Especially if it’s going to keep escalating.”
Eve leaned forward to see Cordelia pulling Angel toward her office. “Connor, I have to go.”
“Are we going to have a normal relationship or not?”
“You know what I like. You’ll either do that for me or you won’t.”
Connor sighed. “I won’t.”
“Good bye, Connor.” Eve hung up just as Cordelia came into the office.
“I’m a little busy, Cordy,” Angel said. He looked at Eve. “Wesley and Vail want info on Sahjhan. Info I can’t give them because it leads to-”
“Connor,” Eve said. “Right. I can fix that.”
“Look at what you’re doing!” Cordy shouted. “Conspiring with Wolfram & Hart to deceive your friends. Even now!”
“What are you even doing here?” Eve asked. “If I recall correctly, you don’t work for this firm.”
“On account of I still have my brain.”
“Cordelia, I really need you to try to be more productive here,” Angel said.
“How’s this for productive. Fred told me about the first law of thermodynamics. It’s about how energy is a form of matter that has to be . . . a . . . change?”
Angel looked at her questioningly.
“The energy that Wolfram & Hart took from Connor,” Cordy clarified. “If they took it from him, they had to have done something with it. It didn’t just stop existing. They’re storing it somewhere, possibly as a part of some evil plan.”
Angel turned and looked at Eve. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Eve stonewalled.
“Yes you do.” Angel thought a moment. “Cordy, follow me.” Angel left the room with Cordy in tow.
Eve ran after them. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this is insane.”
“The first law of thermodynamics. At the Halloween party, I wanted to go to the White Room.” Angel stepped into an elevator. “You said Connor couldn’t go there because of thermodynamics.”
Cordy turned and gave Eve a smug smile.
“Angel!” Eve said, jumping onto the elevator and trying to stop him. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
*
“Gunn?” Angel said as he stepped into the empty space.
“Hey, chief. Was wondering how long it’d take you to get up here.”
“You knew about this place?” Cordy asked.
Gunn rolled his eyes. “We all came here together the night we saved Connor from the Beast. Remember?”
“Connor,” Angel said. “How do you-”
“Long story. Actually, it’s a short story that I don’t feel like getting into right now.”
“Angel said there was a girl here,” Cordy said. “Where is she?”
“The Beast killed her,” Gunn said. “There is no little girl anymore. It’s a teenage boy. Well, not really. But that’s where he came from so that’s what he looks like. Point is, it’s not him.”
Angel could feel his temper rising. “Gunn, what the hell are you talking about?”
Gunn pointed to the skinny figure in a black robe that was approaching them. “The boy in the white room.”
The figure came and stood next to Gunn. He lowered the hood of his black robe. His face was that of a seventeen year old boy. His features were delicate, almost androgynous; brown hair, pale skin, and ice blue eyes. With the exception of Gunn, everyone present reacted to the boy’s face. For Eve, it hurt to see that face so soon after her breakup. For Angel and Cordelia, it hurt to see that face in this context.
The boy in the white room smiled at Angel and repeated the words he’d said when he first returned from Quar’Toth. “Hi dad.”
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