Who: Angel What: Finding out and reacting to Connor's death When: Right after this. Where: Wilderness outside Connor's cabin Warnings: :(
Staying with Connor in the cabin he'd set up for himself, Drusilla, and his two witches may have deterred Angel's son from some of his games but not all of them. Not enough of them. There were still attacks and some he was sure he didn't know about yet. Most of the time once he would leave Angel would wait a few minutes and then go out after him. He'd keep a safe enough distance away that while Connor probably still realized someone was following, he didn't get close enough to be seen. His son was an excellent tracker and he evaded being caught, but Angel had been doing this a lot longer than him. There were countless times back in LA that he would follow his son around town at night without being seen. Checking up on him when he wasn't living at the Hyperion.
It wasn't always as simple as leaving, though, because after the first couple of times Marlene and Dory knew exactly what he was doing. Angel had ways to distract the latter, but Marlene was a different story. She made it clear her distaste for her sire's father and didn't bother hiding it. She seemed to respect Darla ten times more than she ever would with him. She was also extremely loyal and didn't care what games Connor was playing. Leaving wasn't always so simple when she used magic against him. The first time he'd suddenly gone rigid and fell to the floor face down had made him so angry that he saw red. The smirk she flashed him was even worse.
Tonight Angel was able to get out of the cabin for some air. Connor was out, but Angel needed out of that cabin. Darla stayed back with Drusilla and the others and he went off to find something to fight. He needed a release so fucking bad that he'd felt the tension all over his body for days. He began to start towards Fangatsia to see if he could find some low level demons to put out of their misery, but there was a pull in his blood to turn around and go back to the cabin. Sometimes he got that paranoid feeling and it meant nothing. Angel had purposely kept quiet on the network and with his friends about finding Connor because he never planned to kill him himself. He couldn't do that again even though he knew that it was going against everything his mortal son wanted if this happened to him. Angel wasn't selfless. He'd lost Connor more times than he could count in half a dozen different ways and he didn't want to add another to the list. A way that would take him out of this world forever. So, he turned back and started the walk back home. It wasn't that long of a long walk, but the worry in his chest grew stronger. He couldn't shake it, so he sped up the walk and kept his eyes peeled and nose on for any scent that he might catch on his way.
About halfway there he felt as if someone had knocked the breath out of him. Angel stopped in his tracks and stared forward. "Connor." No. It couldn't have happened again. He and Darla were still trying to find ways to convince Connor to leave town, but he ignored each and every request. He had taken off at a run now and didn't start to slow down until he started to catch Connor's unmistakeable scent. It was there and with each stride it grew stronger. He sensed someone else, but it was ignored. When he was nearly overtaken by Connor's scent, he stopped and searched frantically.
"Connor! Connor, where are you?"
He didn't care who heard him or if anyone did. Only Connor had to hear him and if he was anywhere close by he would hear and sense him. His words weren't firm as they had been lately but instead were full of panic and desperation. He started to see marks in the snow and dirt where an obvious fight had taken place and so Angel's eyes scanned the ground. Lifting up a foot, he could barely make out some of the dustings, but it was there. Angel was standing in his son's ashes and the place where he was killed.
Nothing stopped him from letting out a loud, grief-stricken roar that those in the cabin would hear. He didn't care. Angel didn't care at all. His son was gone and he'd not been fast enough.
"You let him get me."
Yes, he had. He'd failed Connor that night when Wesley and then Holtz had taken him away. Now Angel had failed him a second time and there would be no bringing him back this time.