"One long pause, then you begin, oh look what the cat's bought in. If you were a king up there on your throne, would you be wise enough to let me go? For this queen you think you own, wants to be a hunter again, wants to see the world alone take a chance on life again, so let me go, let me leave." ~Dido

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Connor fists felt like nothing but air, like wings, like propellers on the early jet engines. He just kept hitting the mother fucker -- Wesley. It was so typical that Wesley didn't think that Connor remembered him because Wesley had never really recovered his memories about Connor. He was one of those guys who didn't really believe something unless he had experienced it for himself. Wesley was Angel's perfect son really, even if Wes looked more like the father. Nothing was what it looked like here. If Connor had known the first time around what had gone on between Wesley and Faith, he would have seen the whole Orpheus thing for what it really was. Spike was right some people were insanely jealous of power, and they would do anything to stop a person that has it.

Connor felt a firm block stopping his propelled fists.

"Better cut this party short, Blade. You might wanna get out of here with me. When Percy comes to, he's going to tell your Da what a bad boy you've been. You should've stayed undercover. Now that you had your fun this complicates things," Spike said as he held firmly to Connor's wrists.

"Undercover? I don't want to be fucking undercover! Angel tried to put me in a brainwashed witness protection program for my whole life. Do you think I'm afraid of him? Are you?" Connor demanded as he tried to get his writs released.

"Don't be an idiot. What the hell has gotten into you, anyway?" Spike looked at him like he was confused or something.

"The same thing that should be in you. I'm not letting this dick kill Faith. Are you? I'm gonna kill him," Connor said this between shaky breaths. He was pissed at Spike for stopping his stride.

"I like you a lot, Blade," Spike smiled. "If I ever need something done I can't do alone you'll be my go-to-boy, but we have bigger problems than Percy. If killing him would change anything I'd have done it already."

"Funny...Killing you would have changed everything, and yet, I haven't done it already. Why is that?" That familiar mockingly upbeat questioning tone filled the room. Angel was standing there with three Wolfram and Heart security guards, one of which was Charles Gunn.

"Uh-oh, Daddy's home with his poker buddies, and right when we were in the middle messing with his favorite blowup doll. Quick, you get the mop and I'll break out the Lysol spray," Spike snickered.

 Connor felt a ripple of nausea and a larger one of anger. Angel hadn't done anything recently, but that was it. Angel hadn't done anything, except when he felt like it which was when it was too late. Then, he had the nerve to be angry when other people tired to make things right.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Connor asked with false calmness and then roared, "You had to out number us because you know we can take you!"

"Didn't seem like either of you tough guys had a problem out numbering Wes," Gunn said in a hard but even tenured way.

"You don't even speak to me right now before I forget that you're not like him!" Angel roared back to Connor.

"I am like him. I'd rather be like him than you anyday. He would do anything to save the people he really cares about. He doesn't just save the ones that do what he tells them, and bury the rest in magic and money!" Connor said.

"Ouch!" Spike grinned, "Hittin' Daddy below the belt."

"I'm not your father, Spike. You're nothing to me. Connor is my son. You're nothing to him, but his soon-to-be-dead brainwasher. You've gotten to a person I love for the last time," Angel said. Connor felt his guts wrench on that last sentence. He couldn't speak. He was really glad he was not alone in facing Angel, and being outnumbered physically had nothing to do with it.

"The only one whose brainwashed here is you, Peach," Spike said calmly, "well you and Charlie here who thinks it's a good idea to work for you and use the magics...And, now that I think about it, Wes on the floor here has done some self-brainwashing into thinking he can save Faith with magic." Spike tapped Wesley gently with his foot. " Well, the whole lot of you are slaves to your delusions, then."

"So, you're not deluded?" Gunn insisted coolly, "Just your average totally diabolical manipulative A-hole."

"Oh, c'mon. Be fair now. I'm not manipulative," Spike snorted. "This was all the boy's idea to get in here in the middle of the day. Get him when Wesley here when not expecting it. Well, okay, the reenacting Faith's little bleed and burn session on your boy was my little baby."

"Eow!" Gunn exclaimed with mock happiness, "Can be the one to kill him, boss?"

"You're not killing Spike. He has to save Faith," Connor stated.

"Please, I don't know what bleach-fang-boy's been feedin' you, Dude. But, I never seen such a sore loser in my life. Faith doesn't want nothin' to do with him. After tomorrow she isn't gonna need the loser as a lifeline anymore. That's thanks to Wes, and Spike used you to help him smack down Wes for it," Gunn said.

"It's a' bit more complicated than that, Charlie. I thought about calling up Peach in his big office and telling him the real story. But, he was off in his new digs in Greece having a good sodding time. Meanwhile, the girl that went to hell and back to save his ass was being convinced by her former Watcher that using black magic to rip out her soul would be fun," Spike said.

"I was in Malta stopping Mobocracy demons from opening up a Hellmouth. Before I left I knew Wesley was saving Faith from being burned by you. Why am I not doubting that is still what's going on?" Angel demanded. 

"See, I knew he'd never believe me over his boyfriend. So, I didn't waste my time," Spike said to Gunn.

"Hmm, I wonder why?" Gunn said.

"You're still all a bunch of God Damned morons that can't see what's right in front of you. Maybe I was too when I was first with you, but not anymore. Wes used that magic to save Angel's ass thinking that Faith would die. Now he's using magic on her again. He doesn't care if she dies, as long as he's in control of what happens," Connor said

"No, Connor," Angel sighed, "Wesley is saving Faith. Spike is the one that would destroy her. He may be too thick to realize it---

 "You're wrong! I'd die before I'd destroy that girl. Can your Ex-Watcher say that? No, he can't and it's not because I've beaten him into the ground. I'll kill him if I have to. I'll kill Crowley, Wood, and whoever I bloody have to in order to save her, and the boy is with me. I'm not losing Faith. Not because of you, not because of anyone. NOT HER!" Spike roaring in Angel's face.

"You're losing everything, Spike. I'm not going to let you kill or seduce anyone else. I'm finally going to kill you," Angel said coolly. So cold. It was easy for him. After everything Spike just said about how he would stop at nothing to save Faith. Who the fuck would his father stop at nothing for?

"I'll kill your man, Angel! Right fucking here. Right fucking now, if you don't let Spike out of here and if you stop him from saving Faith," Connor's voice really sounded like he meant it. He did. He wasn't going to let Faith be lost to Wesley either.

That was when Connor heard the explosion. All of his lives, memories, and dimensions, and the one thing that Connor didn't have was experience hearing a gun go off. They were a lot louder than they were on television. The bullet was headed towards Connor, but then he hit the floor instead. Hard. The wind was knocked out of him. There was only one person who could knock him on his ass like that. He wondered why Angel wasn't beating the shit out of him as usual. Connor got up and turned. He felt a coldness coming into the room. There was a huge jagged hole in the window, and Angel was standing over it. The sun just happened to be behind another building so he could do it without burning. Connor didn't know how he felt about that at the moment, let alone what was going on in the moment.

"God Damn it!" Angel grumbled. So, he was pissed there was a huge whole shot through his window. But, it didn't look like a bullet hole. It was much too big, like someone had fell through it. Angel knelt down and slowly extended his arm out the window.

"Take it!" he said through gritted teeth. Connor found himself going over to the hole. He looked down and his jaw dropped.

"Take it, Spike. Before I change my mind!" Angel demanded.

Spike was holding onto the edge of the building. Almost all of him was in the roof's shadow, but the tips of his shoes were beginning to smoke and he was slipping. Connor just stood there like the dumbfounded idiot he was. What the fuck? Spike reached up and grabbed Angel's hand, and Angel pulled him into the building. Spike was bleeding and coughing and he looked small next to Angel.

"What in the hell was that?" Angel roared. Good question. This wasn't directed at Spike or even Connor, but the third security guard.

"Whenever anyone seriously threatens the life of an executive we shoot to kill...Mr. Angel, sir. That's my job," the guy said.

"Well, maybe you can take a few days off from your job, and when you come back remember to never shoot at my son again," Angel said.

"He was threatening, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, sir!" the guard insisted, "Besides, the one you wanted us to kill jumped in front of the bullet. It all would have worked out, if you hadn't saved him."

"Spike is not my son!" Angel snapped.

"You jumped in front of a bullet for me!" Connor's face felt hot with embarrassment as it had taken him this long to put together the last thirty seconds, like they were a fake memory.

"Are you crazy!" Connor demanded as he helped Spike off the ground. "You can't be doing shit like that, man. You need to get to Faith to save her."

"I'd almost be offended by that if you weren't a boy after my own heart," Spike grunted in pain but smiled.

"You're own heart, indeed. You had a heart when you were soulless too, right? You even cared for some people. You kept to your business deals for them," Wesley said to Spike as he sat up on the floor and held his head. Connor hadn't noticed that he was regaining consciousness. Was he awake when Connor threatened to kill him?

"Well, Good morning, Starshine," Spike grinned.

"Faith doesn't want what you think of as saving her. She wants the Slayer demon removed. What are you going to do Spike? Grab her against her will? You know she won't go quietly, but she is a bit weaker than usual. Most likely you should easily pummel her into unconsciousness as Connor did to me, and then you can give what you keep insisting is best."

Spike pursed his lips and looked at Wesley angrily.

"No," he said in a whisper, "betraying her and knocking her out is your department. You do what she wants. But you know...you know if anything goes sodding wrong. The bloody second it does, I'll be there, Watcher."

"No, you won't. You're not getting anywhere any of my people again," Angel said.

"It's all right, Angel," Wesley said, "let him go."

"Wes?" Angel and Gunn questioned in unison.

"He's not a threat to us, Angel," Wesley sighed.

"Come again?" Gunn asked with raised eyebrows. "While you were taking your unscheduled rug nap he sent you on, he was saying he'd kill anyone in his way of Faith."

"And he would, if he believed he was saving her life. But, he wouldn't violate her, not even if he believed his way was best. He may not trust Crowley. I don't either, but we both do if it's a matter of business," Wesley explained. Spike didn't argue.

"If she dies I'll kill you. Just a matter of business," Spike told Wesley.

"Here!" Angel spat and threw what seemed like all the cash he had in his pockets at Spike. It was a freaking wad. People who lived through the depression loved cash. Connor thought of his Grandma Rhoda, who seemed more like a false memory than ever. But, she had been a real person, just not a real person to Connor.

"Get the bullet taken out of your body elsewhere. I want you to have nothing to do with Faith or my son. It's a matter of business," Angel said.

"You can't pay a person to have nothing to do with someone. It's like paying a dead man to live. Love is never a matter of business," Spike said and walked out.

"Spike," Connor called and went to follow him.

"You're not going anywhere!" Angel said and grabbed him. He sounded like his other Fathers only much more ominous than Fox in Sacramento, and a little less ominous than Holtz. The other fathers, that Angel had done some sort of business deal to get for Connor.

There was so much Connor could have done or said. So many lives and memories to draw on. He could make a cutting comment like Spike -- something truly crude and funny. When he was just Brian Fox he would have used some good-natured sarcasm. If he were just back from Quar 'toth he would just hit Angel and they would have a brawl. He may call him "Dad" in a cutting way, but it would be nothing compared to all the poignant things that he could say now with all his knowledge and "experience" behind him.  But, Connor didn't have that kind of time.

Connor didn't fight against Angel's grip and Angel released him. When Angel said something cliche' about them needing to have a little talk Connor stepped back into the hole in the window where the sunlight was coming in. He turned and faced the outside. Tiny people mostly suited in gray, cars mostly colored dark, sky mostly fogged gray.

"Connor, don't!" Angel yelled.

"Whoa!" Gunn gasped, "What's he doing? Offing himself?"

"Don't come after me, Angel," Connor said.

"No," Angel sighed, "he's jumping to get away. I hate it when he does that. Just like his mother when she didn't want to deal with me."

Connor turned to look at Angel one last time with the mention of his mother. Angel had his usual stiff face and his pricey Barney's clothes. He could have stopped to ask Angel something about her. His father wouldn't be able to grab him in the sunlight, and Gunn was too slow. But, what could Connor ask? He jumped. He was a propellor that stopped. When he hit the ground he could be so many other things.

End of 10

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