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Summary: Twelfth in a series.
A/N: I am not intending to completely rewrite every part of every script, if there are parts missing just assume they went the same way they did in the show.
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Angel is in his apartment practicing against the punching bag.
"Hey.---I guess Fred is working on a way to determine if anything else came out of the portal." Angel steadies the bag, but doesn't turn to face Cordy.
"That's good." Angel goes back to practicing.
"So, maybe if we're very, very lucky, later today we'll be able to kill something. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Sure."
"Okay. Well, I just wanted to check in and let you know that I was on the clock and tell you that you're doing the right thing." Angel stops punching the bag, but doesn't turn around. After a beat Cordy starts to leave.
"What if he…she doesn't come back?" Cordy stops and they turn to look at each other. "He feels further away from me now than when he was first taken. All that time I don't think I ever really believed that I'd lost him---not really. Then he shows up again and I knew I had."
"It's only temporary."
"Yeah. Everything's temporary. There's just so much I thought we'd be able to do together before he, you know..."
"Grew up?"
"Hated me."
"Angel, he doesn't hate you. He doesn't even know you.---But he will. He's gonna come back, Angel."
"How do you know?"
"Because---he has to. Because he's family."
“What about her? She’s not family.”
“She’s your family. Okay so she’s not so easy. We don’t know where she is, or why she left. But we do know she loves you and she does keep coming here.”
“If Connor is far away then she’s unreachable.”
“Yeah she is.” She pauses and he looks like his heart is about to break. “To everyone but you. Angel the shit you’ve been through and you still connect, you’ll be okay. Everything will work out and she’ll come back.”
*
Fred turns the instrument off, throws a glance back at the others then hurries to stand next to Gunn while Angel steps closer to Connor.
"Hey."
"Hey.---I---ah, I thought I'd come by like you said."
"I'm glad you did.” He turns to the others. “Everyone, ah, this is ah, this is Steven. Steven this is Fred, Gunn, Cordelia and that's Lorne."
"Hello, young man." Angel speaks to the group.
"So, are we about done here?"
"Oh! Yeah. I---I think we've covered everything."
"Maybe we could take this outside."
"Yes. We should do a perimeter search then recalibrate for some wider areas."
"That would be a good idea."
"It was very nice to meet you, Steven." Gunn and Fred leave.
"Uhm, yeah, I---I have a thing." Lorne walks past Connor and upstairs.
"Yes, so, uhm, I just be sure to hold all your calls. You just---you guys take your time."
"Thanks." Cordy walks towards Wes' office and Angel turns back to face Connor. Both of them fold their arms in perfect unison while not even looking at each other, both shift from foot to foot. "So...---You hungry?"
"What do you have?"
"We can go out."
"What!? Where?!" Angel turns to see Cordy coming towards him, one hand cupped behind her ear.
"Cordy." Cordy yelling:
"Angel! It's a bar! Vampires. A gang of them!"
"Cordy..."
"Angel, can you hear me!?" Cordy is standing in the middle of a dimly lit bar, surrounded by people, music blaring loudly. "I can see her. A woman. Angel!” Cordy sees Angel's lips move, but can hear what he's saying. “She's all alone. She doesn't see them. Angel, you have to hurry!" Suddenly the bar is whisked away leaving only Angel standing before her in the lobby.
"Slow down." Cordy looks around for a moment.
"There is a woman at a bar there is a gang of vampires that are after her. You have to help her."
"So much for holding my call, huh?"
"Sorry." Angel to Connor. "Listen, uhm,---I---I, ah, have to go out for a while."
"It's okay."
"It's kind of my job."
"Yeah. Whatever."
"It could be kind of dangerous. There's a lot of killing and violence. You wanna come?" Connor stops and looks back at Angel over his shoulder.
*
"Well, you wanted to kill a vampire. This might be your chance.” He unobtrusively hands a stake to Connor. “Here take this. Just make sure that when you use that thing go straight for..."
"...the heart. I know. My father taught me."
"Yeah, I'm sure he did. Look, there are a lot of innocent people in here. Just don't go nailing anybody until they show their game face, okay?"
"Will it look like yours did?"
"Yeah." Angel spots Justine drinking at the bar.
"So why do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Why kill them if they're like you?" Justine spots Angel and gets of her barstool.
"They're not like me, Connor."
"I'm not Connor." Bartender to Justine.
"Ready for another?" Angel to Connor:
"Just stay right there."
"No, I'm done." The bartender and the two guys sitting on either side of her vamp out. Bartender, grabbing a hold of her arm.
"You're not wrong."
"She thinks she's a Slayer."
"She's about to learn different." The bartender pulls Justine up onto the bar even as she turns and kicks one of the vamps away and straight onto Angel's stake. Connor watches as the vamp turns to dust. The bartender throws Justine into the shelves of bottles behind the bar. A vamp catches Angel's right hand as the stake descends towards his heart, but Angel simply stakes him with the one in his left. Three other vamps attack Angel in the small space that has cleared around Angel as Wes watches from the balcony. Justine screams as the bartender takes a hold of her. Connor runs forward, jumping to land in the clear space next to Angel.
"Nice... Ah, take the one on the..." Connor runs past to attack the vamp holding Justine.
"Well, yeah. That-that makes more sense." Angel gets tackled by one of the vamps and turns his attention back to the fight. Connor helps Justine up and the two of them stare at each other for a beat before he leads her around the bar. Justine stops to stare again, but Angel pulls Connor away.
"Go. Get out of here. Go!" After one last look at Connor Justine runs off, while Angel and Connor turn back to back to fight off the remaining vampires. There is short lull in the fight and they glance at each other, a small smile appearing on both of their faces, before they return their attention to the vamps. One of the vampires turns to run and Connor takes off after him. No more vampires attacking, Angel moves to follow Connor. Connor slowly moves out of the backdoor of the bar into a dark and deserted alley, stake at the ready. Suddenly he spins and slams the stake home---only to have his wrist caught in Angel's hand before the stake can penetrate his heart. They remain frozen in that position for a moment, Connor breathing hard. Then Angel turns the hand holding the stake and hauls back to hit Connor's arms, causing him to spin around and dust the vampire standing behind him. Connor slowly turns back around, looking everywhere but at Angel, while we can hear a pounding like a heartbeat overlaid over the scene. "They don't need to breathe or make any sound. You gotta be careful.---You know you were---you were good in there.” Connor looks up at Angel. “I mean, normally I'd take you to a ballgame, or a museum, or---something. But it's---it's good to know that you can handle yourself in a fight." Angel mock-attacks Connor. Connor jumps back, then smiles. "It's good to know you can do that, too." Connor throws a fake punch at Angel. Angel smiling: "Woah." Laughing and smiling the two of them start dancing around each other, throwing fake punches, jumping up on the trash containers sitting along the wall of the alley, horsing around.
*
Cordy is lounging on Angel's bed while Angel is sitting in a chair across the room.
"The kid was born for it. The way he anticipated, I'm telling you, it's in his blood."
"You don't say."
"There we were and it was like we had never been apart. He felt it, too. I know he did. You should have seen us together."
"I did."
"What do you mean, you did?"
"Ah---after you left, I went back into my vision."
"You went back in?" Cordy sits up:
"Don't ask me how. I don't know if it is part of my new semi-demoness, or---or if they just let me go back in. But I was there. I saw the whole thing, you and your son together. It was beautiful."
*
Lorne, wearing a dressing gown, is pouring himself a drink. He turns and sees Connor standing in the middle of the hotel lobby.
"Oh, hey, kiddo. I didn't see you there. You looking for your dad? Come on. He's upstairs. I'll show you the room.---This way."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, demon."
"I'll tell you what, since you were raised in a hell dimension by a psychopath, and since that happens to be a topic that I know a little something about, we'll just let that slide. Now I'll fetch your pop for you." Lorne turns to continue up the stairs.
"Filthy demon." Lorne turns back.
"Actually, that's uncle filthy demon to you. It wasn't that long ago---like a week---I was changing your diapers, you little..."
"Hey!" Cordy walks in and walks over to stand between them.
"What's the problem?" Lorne just looks at Connor.
"Steven?" Steven never takes his stare off Lorne.
"Steven." After a beat Connor lets himself be lead over to the settee and sits down with Cordy, but he keeps staring at Lorne.
"I know you haven't been in this world very long, and I imagine that things are pretty wild west-y where you're from, but Lorne's a good guy. Honestly."
"It's a demon."
"Right. True. He is. But 'demon' doesn't always mean 'evil' in this dimension. I mean, look at me.” Connor's eye track from Lorne to look at her. “Well, I'm part demon. Yeah. By choice. I did it so that I could help people.” She turns to look at Lorne. “And so that the back of my head wouldn't..." Connor draws his knife and lunges to stab Cordy in the heart.
"Cordy!" Cordy and Connor stare at each other as Cordy keeps Connor's knife hand from descending on her. Cordy's eyes begin to glow with and intense white light. The light spreads, moves up her arm and into Connor, dissolving the blade of his knife and leaving him holding just the handle.
"Let it go, honey.---Just let it go. You don't need that. You don't need any of that." The light leaves Cordy, suffusing Connor instead, as Cordy sits back up across from Connor. "That's right. Just let it go, baby." The light disappears all together, leaving Connor panting and staring at Cordy. "Shh." Cordy reaches up to run her hand over Connor's cheek. Cordy, whispering: "It's okay, sweetie. That's right. It's okay." Connor's eyes close and he leans his head against Cordy and cries into her shoulder. Cordy holds on to him. "I know. Shh.---It's okay.---It's okay." Connor sits back up and Cordy turns to look up at the balcony overlooking the lobby to see Angel standing at the railing. Angel watches from the door to Wes' office as Lorne hands Connor a cup, then turns back to face Cordy, sitting at the desk.
"How do you feel?"
"Okay. Drained. But okay."
"Well, you got some serious mojo going on, girl. Whatever deal you struck with the Powers, it looks to me like they gave you the full package---all the extras. That kid was toxic when he came here tonight. Heavy on the 'ick'."
"What actually happened out there?"
"In my professional opinion? Well, Miss demon-y britches here gave that child some kind of 'soul colonic'. Flushed him out but good."
"Flushed what out?"
"It was that place, Quor-toth. It crept into every part of him. He was sick with it."
"When Fred was taking her readings..."
"He nearly broke the needle. My guess? She wouldn't even get so much as a click off him now." Angel crouches down in front of Cordy.
"Thank you. Thank you for doing this for him."
"I know what it was like for him there, the darkness and the confusion. He thought it was where he belonged." Angel slowly walks up to where Connor is still sitting on the settee.
"Hey, pal. How 're you doing?"
"I might have tried to kill your friend."
"Yeah, well---she's used to it."
"I think I should go." Angel goes to sit down on the settee next to Connor.
"Look---why don't you just---stay here?---I know it doesn't feel like it yet---but this could be home for you." Connor, staring straight in front of him.
"I don't have a home."
"That's not true. You just don't remember, that's all.---Your home is here. This is where you're supposed to be, son."
"You speak as though you're my father." Angel, smiling slightly.
"Well..."
"He said the same thing.” Angel's smile melts away. “He said, we came back for a reason."
"Did he?" The doors open and Fred and Gunn come hurrying in. They stop as they see Angel and Connor, and Gunn clears his throat. Angel walks into Wes' office where Gunn and Fred are waiting.
"I told him you two were going to take him out, spend some time with him."
"And he's good with that?"
"Yeah, he seems to be."
"Where do you want us to take him?"
"Some place were this world isn't as ugly as he thinks it is."
"How long you need?"
"A couple of hours should do it.'
"Hey, uhm, what if he asks where you're at?"
"Don't tell him." Gunn and Fred file out of the office and Angel grabs his coat.
"Wait. Angel, before you go we have to do that thing."
"What thing?"
"That thing we do. You know that thing where I say 'are you sure you know what you're doing, Angel, please think about this' and then you ignore me and rush head long into trouble?"
"Right. That thing.---Okay, are we done?"
"Angel, please think about this. In fact, don't go there at all."
"I have to."
"I know. But don't."
"I'm not gonna kill him even though he deserves it."
Angel turns to go.
"Oh, I don't care if you kill him.” Angel stops and turns back to look at Cordy. “He stole Connor's childhood, so kill him. But don't lie to your son. He's been here like a day. Way to build the trust."
"I'm not lying to him."
"No, you're just sending him off to be distracted while you go confront the man he thinks of as his father." Angel pauses for a minute.
"I'm his father." Cordy watches him turn and walk out.