Angel’s arm burned with pain every time he circled it to reel the fish in. The most recent ambush had left both father and son badly injured. But Angel was insistent that they still participate in this ritual of male bonding before they parted ways for the next few months. The two had sat mostly in silence for an hour. The lake was empty at night and the only sound was crickets.
“Connor?” Angel asked, hearing a strange slurping sound. “Are . . . are you eating the worms again?”
“I’m hungry,” Connor said through the worms in his mouth.
Angel shook his head. “The worms aren’t for . . . look, just don’t eat with your mouth open.”
Connor quickly reeled his line in.
“Did you get a tug?” Angel asked.
“No,” Connor said in a pouting tone as he cast his line back into the water.
“Then why’d you reel it up?”
“It’s been an hour. I thought maybe something had gotten caught and not pulled.”
“You have to be patient, Connor. You’ll never catch anything if you reel your line in every five minutes.”
“Fishing is stupid. There has to be a faster way to catch food.”
“It’s not about speed, it’s about . . . Connor, I know why you’re really upset. But even you agreed this was the smartest thing to do.”
“Yeah, but I thought you’d at least be the one to take me there,” Connor answered. “I don’t like Giles. He smells . . . old.”
“He’s younger than I am.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not old,” Connor grinned devilishly.
Angel smiled. “Kind of walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did,” Connor chuckled. He fought the impulse to check his line again. “You going to see Nina?”
“I don’t know. Depends where I . . . hey. How do you even know about Nina?”
“I have your hearing, remember? Heard you talk to her on the phone one night.”
Angel furrowed his brow. He became deeply uncomfortable with the notion that his son might have heard him having phone sex. “Um . . . what night? What . . . what were we talking about?”
“Me. How I was going to L.A. and Dana was going to go with Willow to Chicago.”
“Ohhhh. That night,” Angel sighed in relief.
“Yeah,” Connor said, nervous himself. “I totally didn’t hear that night you were talking about sex.”
Angel sighed again, but this time not in relief. “Connor . . . when you’re pretending not to know something, you can’t say you don’t know it.”
“What?”
“You’re a bad liar. That’s all.”
“Everybody’s got to be bad at something.” Connor frowned. “That’s it!” Connor stood up and causing the boat to rock.
“Connor!” Angel shouted. “What are you doing?”
“Getting us some fish.” Connor dove into the water with a loud splash. Despite his excellent balance, the boat rocked tremendously, nearly capsizing.
Angel frantically leaned over the side of the boat, trying to probe the depths of the black waters for any sign of his son. Suddenly, there was a splash and a gasp for air on the other side of the boat.
Angel turned to see Connor flop about five fish into the boat. “Is this good or do we need more?”
“Connor, this isn’t about catching fish, it’s about bonding!” Angel looked at his son, soaking wet and clinging to the side of the boat. He supposed this was as good a way to bond as any. In one fluid move, Angel stood up and dove into the water.
Like Angel had done for him, Connor’s eyes searched the waters frantically for any sign of his father. Angel slowly came up on the side of the boat, using its rocking to mask the sound of his surfacing. Sneaking around the side, he splashed the back of Connor’s head. Connor jumped, frightened by the sudden splash.
“Gotcha!” Angel laughed.
“Oh, I so heard you!”
“You wish,” Angel said, splashing his son again.
“That’s it!” Connor said as he splashed Angel back.
**
“Think yer a tough guy, eh?” Spike said as he swung his sword at a practice dummy suspended from the ceiling. “Well, maybe I can . . . aghhh!” Spike leapt back as the chain suspending the dummy from the ceiling broke. He leapt again at the sound of laughter behind him.
“Faith,” he said, picking the dummy up from the ground. “What’re you doing down here?”
“Same as you. Came to practice. But I enjoyed your show so much, I had to stop and watch.”
“Mockery, then, is it?” Spike said as he put the dummy up again.
“Nah. I do the same thing. Gotta get into that mind set, you know. I’m all You wanna fuck with me, mother fucker! You wanna fuck with me? Because I’m one badass mother fucking bitch! Stuff like that.”
“Glad to see you don’t spare the expletives. Angel, that ponce, always gave me grief for swearing in front of the ladies.”
“Tell you what,” Faith grinned as she approached Spike. “Find me a lady, and I won’t swear in front of her either.”
Spike grinned. Things had been so awkward between him and Faith the last few months, it felt nice to be closer to where they were pre-sex.
“Looks like you’re healing okay,” Faith said. “Thought it’d take a lot of pig’s blood and a lot of time for you to recover from what those demons did.”
“Gretchen helped me along. Long as we’re both down here,” he said, tossing the sword aside. “How ‘bout a real workout?”
Faith laughed slightly. “See? Knew that would happen. Sixteen minutes of love in a kitchen, and you’re already slayer whipped.”
Spike forced himself to maintain his smile. “Well. I guess that does tend to happen to me.”
“Relax. I’m just kidding. I know you meant a fight work out.”
“I’m actually kind of tired,” Spike said, picking his sword up. “Think I’m going to go watch the tele.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t go al sulky like a little baby.”
Spike looked at the clock on the wall. “Passions is on in a few minutes. I’m going upstairs.”
***
“How’s your leg?” Gretchen asked as she hauled a few books out of the office.
“Good enough to hobble but bad enough that I still don’t have to help you carry books,” Xander smiled. He was typing on the computer on the front desk typing.
“You’re funny,” Gretchen laughed as she sat the books on the front desk.
“That’s me. Funny Xander.”
Gretchen sat next to him. “What’re you working on?”
“A report about our latest encounter with that du Plessis guy. What kind of a name is du Plessis, anyway?”
“French,” Gretchen answered.
“I was trying to be funny Xander.”
“Oh,” Gretchen said before forcing a laugh.
“Pity laughs. Thank you.” Hearing Gretchen gasp, Xander turned to her. “What?”
“I created and executed an excellent plan?” Gretchen beamed, staring at the screen.
“Um . . . yeah. Why? You don’t think so?”
“No, I just . . . everyone always made me feel like a screw up. Having someone write something all official that compliments me is . . . it’s nice. Makes me feel all . . . something.”
“I know how that feels. Feeling silly or useless. I used to be like that. Actually, I kind of still am, aren’t I? I mean, other than getting stabbed and writing reports, I’m pretty inconsequential.”
“No,” Gretchen said, leaning toward Xander. “You’re important.”
“No I . . .” Xander stopped as he looked into Gretchen’s bright green eyes. They were almost preternaturally green. Xander found himself wondering if Gretchen had used mojo to achieve that breath-taking hue.
Xander had thought of Gretchen as a silly girl since he met her. But Faith’s account of Gretchen in battle somehow made her seemed very much a woman to be reckoned with. She was beautiful and very, very kind. That, combined with over two years of celibacy since Anya’s death, had Xander now forgetting where he was, what he was doing, or the fact that he was still very much heart-broken.
He shifted uncomfortable as he grew hard. He leaned toward Gretchen. The sound of her wetting her lips was as erotic as if they were kissing already. The scent of her hair made Xander feel as if his face was already buried in it, his cock already buried in her. Xander inhaled deeply when-
“You lost your eye,” a voice came.
Xander screamed as the skinny teenager standing at the front desk spoke. Gretchen, also frightened by the sudden appearance of the boy, slid from her chair and crashed to the floor.
“Um . . . you noticed that, did you?” Xander said, trying to play it cool.
“Did you lose it in battle?” Connor asked.
“Um, yeah,” Xander answered, uncomfortable with the topic of conversation.
“Cool.”
“Okay,” Xander said mockingly. “Who let the scary person in?”
“Ah,” Giles said as he entered the lobby. “Good. I see you met Xander.”
“Who met Xander?” Xander asked.
“Connor,” Giles said.
“Ohhh,” Xander said. “This is Connor!”
“Yes,” Giles said. “This is Angel’s son.”
“What?!” Xander shouted.
With Xander’s shout, Faith walked into the lobby to see what the commotion was. “Hey,” she said, seeing Connor. “Welcome back. How’s your old man doing?”
“She knows too!” Xander shouted.
“Xander,” Giles said tensely as he cleaned his glasses and fought not to yell. “I don’t much care for using computers. So if you’re not going to read the e-mails I send you, can you at least read the subject lines of the e-mails I send you?”
“I do,” Xander protested.
“Ah, well, good,” Giles said. “Then you certainly must have noticed the e-mail I sent you last week entitled Confidential: Angel’s Son, Connor!”
“Oh,” Xander said quietly. “I’m a little behind on my e-mail.”
“I should say so. If you could please read the e-mail, it will explain all about Connor, his origin, and the fact that only about a dozen or so people in the world know about him. So, Keep. Your mouth. Shut.” Giles smiled at Connor. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a word with Faith.”
Giles walked to Faith who led the watcher out of the room.
Xander looked down at the duffel bag and cooler at Connor’s feet. “That your lunch?” Xander said, hoping to make conversation after clearly getting off on the wrong foot.
Connor picked up the cooler and slammed it on the front desk. “I brought fish,” he said coldly.
****
“So how you been?” Faith asked Giles as they stepped into the lounge. Faith had originally planned to show off the new library, but a Gretchen-related shelf collapse meant the bar would be the site of the reunion.
“Well enough,” Giles said with a clear edge in his voice. “You?”
“I’m good. What about the kid? How’s he?”
“He’s a nightmare,” Giles sighed, as if he were waiting to be asked. He could hardly complain to Angel about the vampire’s own son. Willow had so much sympathy and adoration for the boy that she too was not very amenable to letting Giles vent.
“He doesn’t like tea,” Giles spat. “He doesn’t like horses. He doesn’t like magic. He doesn’t like daytime. He doesn’t like people or places with people or places where people have recently been, because apparently people smell funny to him.”
“So I have to be the one to slap the smart ass out of him?” Faith complained.
“Actually, we’re trying to avoid that. He’s . . . there are mitigating circumstances that explain much of his behavior. What he really needs now is a kind of supportive mentor.”
“Whoa,” Faith said, throwing her hands up. “I didn’t sign on to be anyone’s wet nurse!”
“Connor is someone who has very much been alienated. He doesn’t trust easily and generally assumes others don’t trust him.” Giles looked at Faith pointedly. “Sound familiar?”
“Ohhhh. This is like when mom used to say she hoped someday I’d have a kid like me so I could see what it was like.”
“That thought did cross my mind. Connor is in very much the same place you were in Sunnydale. He needs guidance and acceptance and the like. He, like you, was once led astray by someone evil who gave him a feeling of belonging and love. Who would know what he needs now better than you?”
Faith shook her head. “You really think that speech was going to sucker me in to this?”
“Sounded good when I practiced it,” Giles smiled.
“’kay then, Rupert,” Faith said. “You can tell Angel his kid has a home.”
“Good,” Giles smiled. “Now, um . . .”
“There’s another catch?” Faith said incredulously.
“There are some rules for him. Connor will be required to talk with Angel at least once a week on the phone. Angel will also try to visit every month or so as well. Connor must continue his therapy-”
“He has therapy?”
“With information from Lorne, Willow developed a method of helping Connor come to grips with the things that happened to him in Quar’Toth. Dawn will continue where Willow left off. For the first month or so, Lorne will also be on hand.”
“This hotel’s getting crowded.”
“Dawn will also perform the cleansing spell once a week. I’ll see that she has the necessary supplies.”
“Um . . . cleansing spell? Can’t the kid just take a bath?”
“I’m referring to a spiritual cleansing,” Giles said, already annoyed at the sarcastic atmosphere when he was trying to be serious. “You remember. The one that Dawn performed three months ago and prevents Connor from turning into a homicidal nihilist?”
“Oh. Well . . . that’s be good, then.”
Giles shook his head. “Too quote Buffy, duh.”
*****
Spike entered the lobby to see Xander and Gretchen staring with apparent disgust. Turning his head, Spike saw the spectacle which elicited this appalled response. Connor sat on the couch eating one of the raw fish from his cooler.
Seeing Spike’s face, Xander shook his head. “You don’t know the half of it. That’s his third one.”
“I offered,” Connor said to Spike between bites. “But they didn’t want any.”
“Yeah,” Spike said in his Spike-like fashion. “We tend to cook those before eating them.”
“Thought you were a vampire,” Connor said, taking another bite. “Surprised you eat these at all.”
“Well, I don’t really.” Spike stepped toward Connor. “Faith know you’re back yet?”
“She’s in with Giles,” Xander said.
“Well, ‘bout time we hit the street. The bat signal just lit up.”
“Oooh,” Gretchen said excitedly. “Excitement and adventure! What’s up?”
“Got word from the underworld. Bunch o’ big nasties are pushing all the littler nasties out of their nests.”
Xander shifted uncomfortably so that he could stand. “Any word on what these nasties are?”
“Sounds like what we fought last week. Only about double the number.”
“Inter-dimensional invasion,” Xander sighed in a mater-of-fact tone. “God I hate Thursdays.”
“This usually happens on Thursdays?” Connor asked, looking up from his fish.
“He’s joking,” Spike said.
“Joking is when I use words to be funny,” Xander said in a patronizing voice, as if speaking to a child.
“Like when dad would say you were a good fighter,” Connor shot back, grinning mockingly at Xander.
“Starting to like this kid,” Spike said, sporting a similar smile.
Faith and Giles entered the lobby.
“So what?” Faith said with a shrug. “It’s break time now?”
“I wish luv. Looks like out peskies from last week didn’t take your hint. Driving all the subterraneans to the surterrain.”
“Surterrain?” Giles asked.
“Yeah,” Spike said, looking down. “That one was pretty weak, huh?”
“I liked it,” Gretchen chirped.
“It’s those crab-like demons from last week,” Spike said.
“You fight ready?” Faith asked, looking at Spike.
“Am at that.”
“Okay, then,” Faith said, clapping her hands. “Me, Spike, and Connor load up on weapons. Giles and Gretchen, you’re on the magic. We’re fighting big uglies from otherworldly elsewhere.”
“Understood,” Giles said. “Gretchen, if you’ll come with me to the library, there’s some texts we should review.”
“Right,” Gretchen said, heading off with Giles.
“What about me?” Xander asked.
“You’re still hurt,” Faith said. “You’re staying here.”
“Spike’s still hurt,” Xander protested.
“You’re hurt worse,” Faith said. “Now-”
“What the bloody hell happened in here!” Giles’ voice boomed from the library.
******
“So, they were above ground before when they were at Connor’s old place,” Faith began.
“They were at my old place?” Connor cut in.
“No interrupting me, kid,” Faith said.
“Don’t call me kid.”
“Fine,” Faith rolled her eyes. “No interrupting me you wise, learned, Giles-esque elderly gentleman.”
Connor looked at Spike. “What’s she calling me?”
“Most demons prefer either above ground or below,” Faith said.
“Correct,” Giles said.
“So why are these demons underground now when they were five stories up before?” Faith asked.
“Maybe they didn’t like how fast we found ‘em last time,” Spike offered.
“Doubt it,” Gretchen interjected. “As many sacrifices as they had-”
“Sacrifices?” Connor asked, looking at Gretchen.
“No interrupting her, either,” Faith said. “In fact, if you could not talk, that’d be perfect.”
“Faith,” Giles said in a low voice.
“Yeah, yeah,” the slayer moaned. “Caring and gentle.”
“It’s not uncommon among demons to offer sacrifices to fiendish deities,” Giles said.
“I still want to know why the sudden change of venue for these demons,” Faith said.
“Well,” Spike said, coming to a halt. “Maybe we can ask them.”
The group came to a halt as the sound of scrambling claws filled the sewer tunnel.
“You said three miles,” Giles said angrily.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, watcher,” Spike growled back. “They got legs. For to walk.”
“It’s him!” the demons near the front of the pack screeched.
“It’s who?” Spike asked.
Connor raised his battleaxe. “Me.”
“We gotta fall back,” Spike said, gripping Connor’s arm.
“No,” Faith said, readying her own axe. “Confined quarters. We fight here so they can’t surround us.”
“Agreed,” Giles said nervously, sorting through his supplies.
Faith, Spike, and Connor ran forward, swinging their axes hard. Legs and heads of demons flew as the charging demons collided with the line of demon fighters.
Giles and Gretchen worked frantically.
“Don’t drop tha . . . bloody hell,” Giles groaned as he started scooping powder off the floor and back into a vile. “Just . . . don’t touch the supplies.”
“Why fight for him, you fools?” the priest said as he walked forward. “He’s served his purpose for your lowly kind. He brought forth the devourer.”
“What’s he rambling about?” Spike said, swinging his axe through a demon’s arm.
“For people who don’t like talkie talkies,” Faith said, ripping free of another demon’s claws. “They do a lot of yacking.”
Connor shoved two demons out of his way and slipped through them.
“Connor, stick to the plan,” Faith shouted. “Stay with the pack!”
Ignoring Faith, Connor charged forward for the priest standing in the back. He hacked off a demon’s claw and spun, decapitating another. As he did, demons slipped past him, cutting Faith and the others off from him. Now having only two-thirds of their force, Faith and Spike were being pushed back to where Giles and Gretchen were frantically assembling their spell. The distance between Connor and the others was growing, as was the number of demons between them.
“Connor, get back here!” Faith shouted.
Connor tried to push by three demons and get to the priest. A demon swung and slashed Connor’s arm. His axe fell from hands. He reached behind him and gripped his long knife. A demon gripped Connor and swung him like a rag doll into the wall of the sewer.
Faith and Spike had been pushed back, losing all the ground they’d gained. They were nearly on top of Giles and Gretchen. Giles looked to Faith and Spike desperately as he struggled to mix his materials.
The priest stepped forward to Connor’s prone body. “You poor, stupid, child,” the priest hissed. “What use are you to anyone now? You’ve served your destiny. And now, you will die for destroying our beloved goddess.”
Giles looked up from his spell. “Now,” he yelled. “Down!”
Faith and Spike dropped to the floor.
“They who are in this world but not of it!” Giles yelled. “Be still in this place.” He threw a powder. With a loud bang, the demons in the tunnel became immobile.
Faith, Spike, Gretchen, and Giles lifted their axes. Slowly, they stepped through the tunnel, hacking the heads from the motionless demons. As Spike and the others finished up, Faith stopped in front of Connor and lowered her axe.
“Kid,” she said angrily. “Giles told me I’m supposed to be all caring and sensitive for you. So I just want you to know, that when we get back to the hotel and I kick your ass, I’m going to kick it in a caring and sensitive way.”
Spike stepped to the priest. “Pathetic creatures,” the priest managed to croak. “You are the slime beneath us.”
“That’s funny,” Spike laughed. “Coming from a guy with no head.” Spike swung the axe, hacking off the priest’s head.
“Imagine that’s the last of them?” Faith said to Giles as she pulled a sullen Connor to his feet.
“Possibly,” Giles said. “It certainly seems the fellow that, um, Spike, there . . . killed, seemed important. He wouldn’t be here if, er . . .” Giles trailed off. “Connor, what exactly was your relationship to these creatures?”
“They wanted to kill me.” Connor pulled away from Faith. “We killed them first.”
“Almost didn’t,” Faith said, glaring at the back of Connor’s head so intensely, she was sure he could feel it.
“I thought if I could kill the leader guy, the rest would fold.”
“And you were probably right,” Faith yelled. “Only problem is, the only way any of us were getting to the head guy was by sticking together. Next time we have a plan, you stick to the plan. Otherwise, your ass is out on the street. Understood?”
Connor glared at Faith angrily for a moment, then nodded.
Faith smiled. “Good. Then you got no problems. Now let’s go home.”
*******
The crew returned to the lobby looking tired but in good spirits. Except, of course, Connor, who’d been broody the whole walk home.
“So we won?” Xander said as everyone filed in. “And no fatalities. That’s a plus!”
“Yes, yes,” Giles said. “We, um, fared quite well.”
“Alright,” Faith said. “I’m grabbing a sandwich and taking a shower.”
“Can I join?” Spike called.
“Sure,” Faith said. “You can have a sandwich, too.”
“Lovely,” Spike smirked.
“Gretchen, can you put these back?” Giles asked, handing her the supplies.
“Better let me handle that,” Xander said, limping to Giles.
“I can carry stuff,” Gretchen protested.
“It’s alright, Xander,” Giles said, handing Gretchen the items. “They’re empty,” he mouthed to Xander. Giles turned and walked up the stairs.
“I’m not in the mood to talk to you,” Connor said quietly as Giles entered the room behind him. Connor sat on the bed and looked out the window.
“Connor, I . . . I know things were different for you in Quar’Toth. But you must understand that teamwork and planning is very important here.”
“I understand. Why do we have to go over this again?”
“I know it’s difficult to hear, but what Faith said was right,” Giles said, hoping he wouldn’t provoke Connor. “You need to-”
“Faith was right,” Connor said, still looking out the window. He shrugged. “I kind of forgot how things work when you’re a team.”
“Still, it’s natural to be upset about being yelled at,” Giles said, trying to console Connor, now that he was sure the boy understood he’d screwed up.
“I’m used to it. I get yelled at a lot.”
“Connor, something’s upsetting you. Ever since the tunnel.”
Connor shrugged. “What that demon said was right, you know? I’m all used up. I was born so I could father Jasmine. Did that. Then killed her. So I’m . . . I’m kind of done, aren’t I? No more destiny left.”
“Well, you’re better off than most people,” Giles said as he moved around the bed. He sat next to Connor. “Most of us never get to know what our destinies might be. But it occurs to me, you’ve always been told what your role was. Holtz, Cordelia, Jasmine. Even Angel and I. You were always told what your purpose was. What to do. What your destiny was. But now, you’ve no map to guide you. No one to tell you what to be. Must be terribly difficult for you. But perhaps terribly liberating as well.”
“Liberating? To not know what my purpose is?”
“Not knowing one’s purpose,” Giles sighed. “That’s simply natural. But to not have any constraints, to be able to decide for yourself what you’ll be. For the first time in your life, your future belongs to you.”
Connor smiled slightly. “I guess . . . yeah. That’s not so bad, is it?”
Giles squeezed Connor’s shoulder. “It’s not bad at all.”
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