Title: Uncertain Paths
Disclaimer: I own nothing, don't sue!
Summary: When Cordelia has a vision of Connor being killed by a trio of
dangerous demons the gang rushes to save him, but get there to late to keep
him from being injured.
Rating: PG-15 (just to be safe!)
AN: This is canon until the last minute of Spin the Bottle, when Cordelia
gets her memory back she doesn't get a vision of big, scary BB. She stays
at the hotel with Angel, they are tentatively dating. Connor is 15, not 18.
Connor winced as another hammer blow landed on his already sore ribcage. He'd been on his way home when he'd come across three huge, grey demons attacking a young teenage couple in an alley outside of a club. He'd quickly jumped into the fray, allowing the teens to escape, and was now faced with three very angry seven foot demons. Each sported 2-inch razor- like claws, coated with a sticky blue substance, sharp spines, also coated with the blue liquid, lined their arms, and several small horns surrounded eerie yellow and black eyes. Connor ducked as a long arm attempted to slash at him; delivering a roundhouse kick to another he jumped straight up, and clung to a fire escape. He then swung forward, catching a demon in the face. The demon howled its anger and leapt at Connor, catching the teen's foot and dragging him down. Connor hit the pavement hard on his back, head bouncing off of the concrete. He shook off his dizziness and tried to scramble to his feet, but a kick to the small of his back spun him around and he landed on his stomach. As Connor tried to rise again a demon stepped foreword and with a powerful swipe to his ribs sent Connor flying to a wall. Blood seeped from where the sharp claws had slashed the skin on his chest. Connor slowly raised his head to see all three demons grinning at him and they started to advance on the injured teen.
The leader slowly growled out, "you let our dinner escape, you get to replace it," the words sounded laboured and gravely as if the demon wasn't used to speaking English. Connor gulped and attempted to scoot back, but was stopped by a wall. The demons noticed his effort and laughed mockingly as they continued their advance. The leader was upon Connor and had just raised it arm for another devastating blow when a crossbow bolt tore through it. It howled in anguish and whirled on the newcomers who dared to ruin his fun with the insolent human brat. All three started to laugh, a menacing and unpleasant sound, at the sight of three humans, two scrawny women and a man. They immediately started to close in on the three, barely pausing when another of Fred's bolts tore through more flesh. "You'll pay for that," one promised, veering off towards Fred.
"Don't count on it." A large axe was suddenly protruding from the leader's skull. Angel gave a half smile as he started whaling on the other two, catching them by surprise as they hadn't noticed him jumping down from the roof while Fred, Cordelia, and Gunn distracted them. Working together Fred, Cordelia and Gunn took down the smaller of the two, Fred and Cordelia stabbing it with swords and Gunn using another battleaxe. Angel made short work of his prey, and soon a thunk could be heard as its head bounced down onto the pavement. All four turned to Connor as he struggled to rise with the help of a wall.
"Connor, are you alright?" Angle asked anxiously as he helped his son to his feet.
"Fine," Connor replied as he jerked his arm away from Angel and tried to leave the alley. He paused for a moment and grudgingly added, "thanks." He tried to take another step but his legs buckled beneath him, Angel stepped forward quickly and caught him before he fell again. Connor cried out softly as Angel's arm wrapped around his sore ribs and three angry red slashes. Angel noticed the cuts and quickly adjusted his hold, reaching down to examine the bloody scratches.
"Damn," he muttered as he realized the cuts were from the venomous claws of one of the Lawk'tha demons they'd just defeated. Connor tried to squirm away as probing fingers tried to examine the extent of his injuries. "Connor settle down, I need to see how bad it is!" Angel growled his frustration as his errant son continued to struggle.
"Put me down, I can take care of myself!" Connor began to thrash around in earnest, but only found himself being easily scooped into the vampire's strong arms. His progressively weaker blows bounced off of his father's chest as Connor felt himself become even more light-headed and black spots danced in his vision. Connor felt bile begin to rise and his throat muscles began to spasm. He was aware of placed on his feet and bent over an arm as he unloaded the contents of his stomach onto the street, a soothing hand rubbing his back, an, "oh shit, my shoes!" a sharp, stabbing pain in his head and his vision finally blacking over.
Fred and Gunn rushed ahead to open the car doors as Angel carried Connor while Cordelia fussed at how pale he was.
"Cordy, you slide into the back seat and I'll lie Connor's head on your lap, Gunn, can you and Fred take your truck and pick up some Hyssop and Nasturtium, we need it for the antidote. Fred and Gunn quickly made their way to the truck while Angel carefully placed Connor in the back seat. He began to whimper and lightly thrash, his face screwing up with pain.
Cordelia looked at Angel nervously, "is he alright?"
Angel nodded, "the venom in the claws isn't usually fatal, it's not meant to kill, just paralyse so the victim is easier pray. It causes severe muscle spasms; as soon as we get him the antidote he'll be fine. It will take at least a month for it to finish running through his system, until the venom has run its course he'll be pretty weak."
"How bad will he be, and why so long?" Cordelia asked, still concerned, but relieved as the spasm subsided and Connor stopped moving.
"It messes with a person's equilibrium, like an ear infection, in addition to the spasms. Connor will be off-balance, and if he tries to walk around too soon he'll end up on the floor with a pounding headache, might throw-up again. For the first week or so he'll have to take a dose of the antidote every day to keep the dizziness, nausea, fever, and spasms under control. The so-called antidote just keeps it under control; there isn't a real cure. After that it's just a matter of letting the rest of the venom leave his system. He'll be a lot weaker until then. "
"How weak?"
"Like a kitten until at least the third week, if not the full month."
"You sound like you're pretty familiar with this stuff?" Cordelia made the statement into a question.
Angel snorted, "Spike decided it would be a good idea to take on five of them in a bar brawl, guess who had to rescue him, make up the cure, and play nursemaid to the whining, stubborn, irritating fledge!" Angel's voice sounded so indignant Cordelia couldn't hold back her small giggles. "It's not funny, the stuff stank to high heaven and I ended up stuck in the house the entire time, he nearly drove me crazy! It was "Sire, I'm hungry, I'm bored, can't I just get up long enough to make a mess, throw-up blood on your favourite shirt, and pass out before you can yell at me properly!" Angel mimicked his most irritating childe in a whiny voice. Cordelia stopped repressing and began full-fledged laughter. "If it weren't for Dru's big brown eyes and her "can't I keep him daddy?" he would have been dust the second I saw him." Angel swore.
Cordelia's laughter subsided into amused snorts. She grinned wildly as a thought occurred to her, "Angel, just out of curiosity, was it Dru's brown eyes, or Spike's big blue one's?" She collapsed back into laughter, as she received no answer, just a sulky silence from the front seat.
Angel glared at Cordelia through the rear-view mirror, even though, or maybe because, she couldn't see him, and sighed with relief as they pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. Carrying Connor through the door and up the stairs he asked Cordelia to meet him up in Connor's room with some henbane leaves, a small bowl, and a grinder.
"Isn't that stuff poison, not to mention it reeks!?" Cordelia asked, as she made her way into the office, where they kept magical supplies.
"I told you the antidote stank, the other plants and a quick incantation neutralize the poison in the Henbane and form the antidote." Angle continued up the stairs intent on getting Connor, who was once again thrashing about with another spasm, into bed. Cordelia came up with the requested items quickly and Angel started to grind them down. Fred and Gunn arrived shortly after, bringing the final ingredients to the strong- smelling mixture.
"How is he?" Fred asked, forgetting how angry she was at the teen as he was rocked with another spasm. His face contorted in pain although he had yet to regain consciousness.
"He'll be fine once we get this into him." As soon as the latest spasms subsided Angel carefully tilted his son's head up, expertly pinching the jaw so it opened as he carefully poured the medicine, mixed with water, down his throat. The effect was almost immediate, the pain lines that had been present on the teens face relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep. Angel smiled with relief as Connor's tensed muscles relaxed.
"He'll be okay now, right?" Fred asked, staring concernedly at Connor, who was still very pale.
"It will take awhile, probably a month but he'll recover fully. I need to see how badly hurt he is, Fred will you please grab me some antiseptic and bandages." Angel requested, his eyes never leaving Connor's face.
"Sure, I'll be right back." Gunn followed her out.
"Cordy will you get a tub of warm water and some cloths, please?" Cordelia nodded her consent and left to find the requested items. Angel carefully pealed his son's shirt off, hissing in anger as the red, angry cuts came into view, standing out sharply against the pale skin. He muttered curses as the battered rib cage was fully revealed. Carefully feeling the injuries and murmuring reassurances when the teen groaned and shifted as Angel probed a particularly painful spot. Satisfied that there were no internal injuries or broken bones Angel gently removed Connor's jeans. He frowned as he saw the thick material hadn't completely protected his son, a few bruises were forming on his shins and several scrapes adorned his knees. Angel moved back up Connor's side, intending flip the teen over to assess any injuries on his back. He studied the peaceful look on his son's face, without the usual suspicion and anger clouding it. He brushed a small wisp of hair that hung over Connor's forehead.
"Angel we've got the stuff, some medicated ointment to help with bruises too." Cordelia's soft, concerned voice filled the room. She crossed over to where Angel was standing and put her hand onto his arm. "He's going to be fine."
Angel smiled softly at the reassurance, "help me turn him over." Cordelia nodded and gasped as Connor's rather battered back came into view. It was covered in bruises and scratches from when he'd fallen and been slammed into a wall. She lightly ran her fingertips over an especially bad, boot shaped one on the small of Connor's back. Tears threatened to spill as he groaned and jerked at even that light contact.
"Oh." Fred's shocked tones filled the room this time, as she and Gunn arrived with supplies. Gunn wrapped an arm around Fred's waist in comfort and handed the first aid supplies to Angel.
"I'd like to give him a bath first, will someone run one while I clean the worst of his cuts?" Fred nodded at Angel's request and hurried into the bathroom. Angel turned back to Connor and began to gently clean the wounds. As he finished the front side with Cordelia and Gunn's help, wincing each time Connor winced, Fred came to tell him that the bath was done. "Thanks Fred."
All three left as Angel carried his son into the bathroom. Swiftly stripping him of his boxers Angel carefully and quickly bathed his son, as he had not so long ago. Smiling at the fond memories Angel finished washing Connor's hair and lifted him out of the bathtub. He rubbed Connor dry with the towel someone had thoughtfully laid out onto the bed along with a pair of his p.j.'s. After bandaging the worst of the cuts and scrapes, and rubbing medicated cream on the bruises Angel dressed Connor in the pyjamas, in which he absolutely swam. Carefully tucking his son in, Angel bent over and dropped a feather light kiss on his forehead before leaving the room.
He found all three of his friends waiting for him downstairs. "So, is the brat going to be alright?" Gunn asked with feigned indifference.
"He'll be fine, but it's going to be rough for a little while."
"Like when he finds out he's staying here." Cordelia put in.
Angel grunted and reluctantly smiled. "Even rougher when he finds out he's not leaving after he gets better."
"Angel, are you sure, I mean I know we have to help him while he's sick, but what if when he gets better he decides to try something."
"Maybe he'll finally get that spanking he deserves." Gunn suggested, only half serious.
"Maybe. He's a child Fred, my child. What if next time he's not so lucky?" Angel looked at Cordelia to see what she thought.
Cordelia smiled and said, "I figured out he wasn't leaving awhile ago, what took the rest of you so long?"
Angel looked up the stairs, "I hope he takes it that well."
"Pfft, yeah right."
TBC
Connor winced as another hammer blow landed on his already sore ribcage. He'd been on his way home when he'd come across three huge, grey demons attacking a young teenage couple in an alley outside of a club. He'd quickly jumped into the fray, allowing the teens to escape, and was now faced with three very angry seven foot demons. Each sported 2-inch razor- like claws, coated with a sticky blue substance, sharp spines, also coated with the blue liquid, lined their arms, and several small horns surrounded eerie yellow and black eyes. Connor ducked as a long arm attempted to slash at him; delivering a roundhouse kick to another he jumped straight up, and clung to a fire escape. He then swung forward, catching a demon in the face. The demon howled its anger and leapt at Connor, catching the teen's foot and dragging him down. Connor hit the pavement hard on his back, head bouncing off of the concrete. He shook off his dizziness and tried to scramble to his feet, but a kick to the small of his back spun him around and he landed on his stomach. As Connor tried to rise again a demon stepped foreword and with a powerful swipe to his ribs sent Connor flying to a wall. Blood seeped from where the sharp claws had slashed the skin on his chest. Connor slowly raised his head to see all three demons grinning at him and they started to advance on the injured teen.
The leader slowly growled out, "you let our dinner escape, you get to replace it," the words sounded laboured and gravely as if the demon wasn't used to speaking English. Connor gulped and attempted to scoot back, but was stopped by a wall. The demons noticed his effort and laughed mockingly as they continued their advance. The leader was upon Connor and had just raised it arm for another devastating blow when a crossbow bolt tore through it. It howled in anguish and whirled on the newcomers who dared to ruin his fun with the insolent human brat. All three started to laugh, a menacing and unpleasant sound, at the sight of three humans, two scrawny women and a man. They immediately started to close in on the three, barely pausing when another of Fred's bolts tore through more flesh. "You'll pay for that," one promised, veering off towards Fred.
"Don't count on it." A large axe was suddenly protruding from the leader's skull. Angel gave a half smile as he started whaling on the other two, catching them by surprise as they hadn't noticed him jumping down from the roof while Fred, Cordelia, and Gunn distracted them. Working together Fred, Cordelia and Gunn took down the smaller of the two, Fred and Cordelia stabbing it with swords and Gunn using another battleaxe. Angel made short work of his prey, and soon a thunk could be heard as its head bounced down onto the pavement. All four turned to Connor as he struggled to rise with the help of a wall.
"Connor, are you alright?" Angle asked anxiously as he helped his son to his feet.
"Fine," Connor replied as he jerked his arm away from Angel and tried to leave the alley. He paused for a moment and grudgingly added, "thanks." He tried to take another step but his legs buckled beneath him, Angel stepped forward quickly and caught him before he fell again. Connor cried out softly as Angel's arm wrapped around his sore ribs and three angry red slashes. Angel noticed the cuts and quickly adjusted his hold, reaching down to examine the bloody scratches.
"Damn," he muttered as he realized the cuts were from the venomous claws of one of the Lawk'tha demons they'd just defeated. Connor tried to squirm away as probing fingers tried to examine the extent of his injuries. "Connor settle down, I need to see how bad it is!" Angel growled his frustration as his errant son continued to struggle.
"Put me down, I can take care of myself!" Connor began to thrash around in earnest, but only found himself being easily scooped into the vampire's strong arms. His progressively weaker blows bounced off of his father's chest as Connor felt himself become even more light-headed and black spots danced in his vision. Connor felt bile begin to rise and his throat muscles began to spasm. He was aware of placed on his feet and bent over an arm as he unloaded the contents of his stomach onto the street, a soothing hand rubbing his back, an, "oh shit, my shoes!" a sharp, stabbing pain in his head and his vision finally blacking over.
Fred and Gunn rushed ahead to open the car doors as Angel carried Connor while Cordelia fussed at how pale he was.
"Cordy, you slide into the back seat and I'll lie Connor's head on your lap, Gunn, can you and Fred take your truck and pick up some Hyssop and Nasturtium, we need it for the antidote. Fred and Gunn quickly made their way to the truck while Angel carefully placed Connor in the back seat. He began to whimper and lightly thrash, his face screwing up with pain.
Cordelia looked at Angel nervously, "is he alright?"
Angel nodded, "the venom in the claws isn't usually fatal, it's not meant to kill, just paralyse so the victim is easier pray. It causes severe muscle spasms; as soon as we get him the antidote he'll be fine. It will take at least a month for it to finish running through his system, until the venom has run its course he'll be pretty weak."
"How bad will he be, and why so long?" Cordelia asked, still concerned, but relieved as the spasm subsided and Connor stopped moving.
"It messes with a person's equilibrium, like an ear infection, in addition to the spasms. Connor will be off-balance, and if he tries to walk around too soon he'll end up on the floor with a pounding headache, might throw-up again. For the first week or so he'll have to take a dose of the antidote every day to keep the dizziness, nausea, fever, and spasms under control. The so-called antidote just keeps it under control; there isn't a real cure. After that it's just a matter of letting the rest of the venom leave his system. He'll be a lot weaker until then. "
"How weak?"
"Like a kitten until at least the third week, if not the full month."
"You sound like you're pretty familiar with this stuff?" Cordelia made the statement into a question.
Angel snorted, "Spike decided it would be a good idea to take on five of them in a bar brawl, guess who had to rescue him, make up the cure, and play nursemaid to the whining, stubborn, irritating fledge!" Angel's voice sounded so indignant Cordelia couldn't hold back her small giggles. "It's not funny, the stuff stank to high heaven and I ended up stuck in the house the entire time, he nearly drove me crazy! It was "Sire, I'm hungry, I'm bored, can't I just get up long enough to make a mess, throw-up blood on your favourite shirt, and pass out before you can yell at me properly!" Angel mimicked his most irritating childe in a whiny voice. Cordelia stopped repressing and began full-fledged laughter. "If it weren't for Dru's big brown eyes and her "can't I keep him daddy?" he would have been dust the second I saw him." Angel swore.
Cordelia's laughter subsided into amused snorts. She grinned wildly as a thought occurred to her, "Angel, just out of curiosity, was it Dru's brown eyes, or Spike's big blue one's?" She collapsed back into laughter, as she received no answer, just a sulky silence from the front seat.
Angel glared at Cordelia through the rear-view mirror, even though, or maybe because, she couldn't see him, and sighed with relief as they pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. Carrying Connor through the door and up the stairs he asked Cordelia to meet him up in Connor's room with some henbane leaves, a small bowl, and a grinder.
"Isn't that stuff poison, not to mention it reeks!?" Cordelia asked, as she made her way into the office, where they kept magical supplies.
"I told you the antidote stank, the other plants and a quick incantation neutralize the poison in the Henbane and form the antidote." Angle continued up the stairs intent on getting Connor, who was once again thrashing about with another spasm, into bed. Cordelia came up with the requested items quickly and Angel started to grind them down. Fred and Gunn arrived shortly after, bringing the final ingredients to the strong- smelling mixture.
"How is he?" Fred asked, forgetting how angry she was at the teen as he was rocked with another spasm. His face contorted in pain although he had yet to regain consciousness.
"He'll be fine once we get this into him." As soon as the latest spasms subsided Angel carefully tilted his son's head up, expertly pinching the jaw so it opened as he carefully poured the medicine, mixed with water, down his throat. The effect was almost immediate, the pain lines that had been present on the teens face relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep. Angel smiled with relief as Connor's tensed muscles relaxed.
"He'll be okay now, right?" Fred asked, staring concernedly at Connor, who was still very pale.
"It will take awhile, probably a month but he'll recover fully. I need to see how badly hurt he is, Fred will you please grab me some antiseptic and bandages." Angel requested, his eyes never leaving Connor's face.
"Sure, I'll be right back." Gunn followed her out.
"Cordy will you get a tub of warm water and some cloths, please?" Cordelia nodded her consent and left to find the requested items. Angel carefully pealed his son's shirt off, hissing in anger as the red, angry cuts came into view, standing out sharply against the pale skin. He muttered curses as the battered rib cage was fully revealed. Carefully feeling the injuries and murmuring reassurances when the teen groaned and shifted as Angel probed a particularly painful spot. Satisfied that there were no internal injuries or broken bones Angel gently removed Connor's jeans. He frowned as he saw the thick material hadn't completely protected his son, a few bruises were forming on his shins and several scrapes adorned his knees. Angel moved back up Connor's side, intending flip the teen over to assess any injuries on his back. He studied the peaceful look on his son's face, without the usual suspicion and anger clouding it. He brushed a small wisp of hair that hung over Connor's forehead.
"Angel we've got the stuff, some medicated ointment to help with bruises too." Cordelia's soft, concerned voice filled the room. She crossed over to where Angel was standing and put her hand onto his arm. "He's going to be fine."
Angel smiled softly at the reassurance, "help me turn him over." Cordelia nodded and gasped as Connor's rather battered back came into view. It was covered in bruises and scratches from when he'd fallen and been slammed into a wall. She lightly ran her fingertips over an especially bad, boot shaped one on the small of Connor's back. Tears threatened to spill as he groaned and jerked at even that light contact.
"Oh." Fred's shocked tones filled the room this time, as she and Gunn arrived with supplies. Gunn wrapped an arm around Fred's waist in comfort and handed the first aid supplies to Angel.
"I'd like to give him a bath first, will someone run one while I clean the worst of his cuts?" Fred nodded at Angel's request and hurried into the bathroom. Angel turned back to Connor and began to gently clean the wounds. As he finished the front side with Cordelia and Gunn's help, wincing each time Connor winced, Fred came to tell him that the bath was done. "Thanks Fred."
All three left as Angel carried his son into the bathroom. Swiftly stripping him of his boxers Angel carefully and quickly bathed his son, as he had not so long ago. Smiling at the fond memories Angel finished washing Connor's hair and lifted him out of the bathtub. He rubbed Connor dry with the towel someone had thoughtfully laid out onto the bed along with a pair of his p.j.'s. After bandaging the worst of the cuts and scrapes, and rubbing medicated cream on the bruises Angel dressed Connor in the pyjamas, in which he absolutely swam. Carefully tucking his son in, Angel bent over and dropped a feather light kiss on his forehead before leaving the room.
He found all three of his friends waiting for him downstairs. "So, is the brat going to be alright?" Gunn asked with feigned indifference.
"He'll be fine, but it's going to be rough for a little while."
"Like when he finds out he's staying here." Cordelia put in.
Angel grunted and reluctantly smiled. "Even rougher when he finds out he's not leaving after he gets better."
"Angel, are you sure, I mean I know we have to help him while he's sick, but what if when he gets better he decides to try something."
"Maybe he'll finally get that spanking he deserves." Gunn suggested, only half serious.
"Maybe. He's a child Fred, my child. What if next time he's not so lucky?" Angel looked at Cordelia to see what she thought.
Cordelia smiled and said, "I figured out he wasn't leaving awhile ago, what took the rest of you so long?"
Angel looked up the stairs, "I hope he takes it that well."
"Pfft, yeah right."
TBC