Title: A Fallen Angel
Written by: The Main Slayer
Summary: Angel has been missing for three years since the fall of Los Angeles and Wolfram & Hart. During which time Buffy and friends have spent endless hours and manpower trying to track him down. Finally their search has paid off, but what they find is not what they were expecting.
Rating:
Disclaimer: I own nothing; everything belongs to Joss and co.

Prologue

Galway, Ireland 1753

Within hours he was awake. Slowly his eyes fluttered open as his still form remained on the ground. He took in the view around the tiny house, slowly he raised his hand then his arm. Carefully he raised his other arm to touch his face. He looked to his left and his right there were small patches of blood as he looked up he saw some more blood on the wall. His neck hurt; moving his hands to his neck he felt the large open wound that would permanently scar him. He brought his fingers away and saw blood. He felt sick, slowly moving, the man tried to stand. His legs felt like jelly, they didn't want to respond to him but he forced them. Slowly they tucked under his lean frame and allowed him to stand. The living room was as he remembered it. The table was over turned, the chairs thrown around the room. The fire in the hearth was crackling as the embers slowly burned down. The man picked his way through the room picking up chairs and turning the table upright. He wasn't sure why he went through the room doing such mundane tasks, but for some reason they made him feel normal. Suddenly, a noise came from the front hall; there was a shuffling of feet and a soft whimper. The man, realizing that he was not alone, ran towards the front hall. A small body started to move when he approached. The man bent down and turned the young girl over. She had been crying and a similar wound to his own was on her neck. Recognition shined in her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Father!" She cried. The man held her close and buried his face in her hair.

"It's all right. I'm here now." He picked her up and carried her over to one of the four chairs in the tiny dining room. He placed her down gently and took her face in his hand, "Let me look at you." He stared into her eyes and smiled. She was all right considering.

"What…I don't understand. How did this happen? Why would he do this to us?" She cried reaching towards her father again.

"Shh, don't think of it. Stay here and must go and find your mother." She gripped his shirt and held on.

"No, please don't leave me! He might…"

"I don't think he'll be coming back." He said. She released his shirt and began to cry again. The man walked back towards the front hall and past the door. He knelt down next to his wife and touched her face. Slowly her eyes opened as he pushed her hair away reveling yet another neck wound.

"Marie? Marie, are you all right?" He asked. Slowly he helped her into a sitting position and held her face. In that moment, no one looked more beautiful than her. It had taken them years to fall in love with each other, but there was no way he could live without her now. Tears fell down her face as she looked into her husband's eyes.

"Ciaran? What happened?" She asked.

"Come, we must go back to Catherine." Ciaran helped his wife up and slowly they walked back to the dining room where Catherine was waiting. Marie left her husband's side and ran to her daughter. Catherine threw her arms around her mother's neck and began to cry. Ciaran took in the scene around him. He knew what had happened but he couldn't wrap his head around it. His son had been here, Liam, and he had killed them all. His son had become a monster, a demon; there would be no controlling him. His son was lost forever. But why were they alive? They should be dead. Marie turned from her daughter and looked into the confused face of her husband. She rose and walked towards him.

"Ciaran? What is it?" She asked.

"I don't know. We should not be here. We should be…"

"Dead." Marie finished. Ciaran nodded. A knock sounded behind them. Abruptly Ciaran turned to see a tall man in a suit standing in their doorway. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his expression said that he was a man of high standing. He strolled into their small home with four others in tow. Ciaran recognized them. Tomas Bristol emerged into the small doorway with his wife Nora and children, Alanna and Murtagh in tow. The tall man stopped and clasped his hands together smiling at the group.

"Who are you?" Ciaran demanded.

"I am your ticket to survival." Said the man. Alanna clung to her brother as he supported her up. Ciaran noticed that they too had similar wounds on their neck to his own. His son had killed them too. Ciaran lowered his gaze and shook his head.

"What is going on Ciaran?" Tomas asked.

"I…I don't know." He responded. Nora walked towards Marie and put her arms around her friend. They hugged briefly and then turned back to face the man that none of them knew.

"Think of this as a second chance. Your only chance. Your lives now are simply a gift They have given to you."

"They?" Tomas asked.

"Yes, the Senior Partners, an organization that I work for. They have given you your lives back…" Ciaran cut him off.

"In exchange for what?" He demanded.

"Oh nothing in particular, just when we need you, we'll call you."

"Did you do this to my son! Did you turn him into a monster!" Marie demanded running towards him. Ciaran caught her and held her back. She struggled in his arms for a moment then relaxed against his chest.

"No. No that was something entirely different. However, we have big plans for him. Your son will be greater than you could ever imagine and we have every intention of following his career very thoroughly." The man went back towards the door and closed it, "Now there are a few ground rules to this gift we have given you."

"Gift? You think this is a gift?" Ciaran demanded, "this is not a gift, this is damnation you have placed upon our shoulders."

"Oh now Mr. O'Connor, don't be so angry. You get the chance to live through the ages, an ageless man. How can you tell me that is not a gift?" Ciaran frowned and crossed his arms. "Now, you will listen. I know that you heard what I said, ageless. You, your wife, Tomas and Nora will never age a day. Not, of course, until your contract is up with us."

"I will sign no such contract!" Tomas yelled.

"Oh, but you already have, being alive is the beginning of your contract. The four of you will not age. Your children, Alanna, Murtagh, and Catherine, will age at a slower rate until a certain point and then they will continue on as normal humans. Now remember, everything about you is still human. But you need to be careful about where you stay and how long you are there. You can't let anyone know that you are, special."

"This is insane! You can't do this to us! What have we done…" Murtagh began but was cut off.

"What have you done? You are the reason Liam, or shall I say, Angelus, hates humanity. You are the only thing that links the demon known as Angelus to humanity. That is your curse. Now remember what I've told you, live your lives, and one day we will call on you and your contract will be over."

"I don't understand. Why do you need us?" Nora asked in a quiet voice.

"We need you simply as a tool to use against your son if he becomes dangerous to our organization. That is all you need to know." The man turned back around and opened the door to leave. Alanna began to cry and Murtagh wrapped his arms around his sister. Ciaran still couldn't believe all this. He had no idea what was going on and why this was happening right after his son's death and their murder.

"We don't even know your name! How will we contact you!" He shouted after him.

"You won't contact me, I'll contact you. As for my name…just call me Hamilton." The man turned away and disappeared into the night. Ciaran stood in his small home with Tomas and his family unsure of what to do next. Tomas must have felt the same way.

"Ciaran, what do we do now?" He asked, hands on his hips.

"We…" Ciaran took in a breath and sighed loudly, "We do what he says. It's the only thing we can do."

"You can't expect us to play along with this…"

"I don't think we have much of a choice. That Hamilton has done something to us and it has something to do with the fate of my son. We have to continue living, so we might as well follow his rules."

"This is insane." Tomas said, but Ciaran knew his friend had finally come to the same conclusion.

"Yes it is. But as I said, what other choice do we have?" Ciaran surveyed the room and smiled at his daughter. She smiled back, her eyes heavy with pain and hurt. Ciaran walked towards her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled and leaned her head against his arm. Maybe this was a blessing and maybe it wasn't, one thing was for sure Ciaran knew that it would not be an easy road.

Chapter 1

Los Angeles, California 2005

"I've had enough of this!" Came a booming voice, a chair flew across the room and shattering into numerous pieces. Hamilton stood at the end of the long room with his hands folded in front of him. He cocked his head to the side looking down at the splintered chair, and then raised his head to look at the woman on the other end of the room. She had become so enraged that her supermodel looks had begun to shift into a disfigured demon with large horns and red skin. He had to hand it to the Senior Partners, when they went all out they sure went all out. He remained silent as the demon on the other end of the room paced back and forth, smoke rising from her nostrils.

"I agree, but what can we do? We'd have to kill him to end it." Hamilton offered. The demon turned to face him and growled.

"Don't you think we've thought of that!" It shouted, "We can't kill him. He is too vital to everything we have worked towards. We have decided not to kill him, but to simply remove him from the situation."

"Remove him? How?" Hamilton asked. The demon seemed to calm down as her features returned to a more human form.

"We're going to make him and his friends disappear." She sat down and ran her fingers through her hair letting it fall around her face. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on the arms of the chair.

"What is their plan?"

"Our plan will be revealed in time."

"Ah, are we finally going to use our secret weapon?" The demon smiled and leaned forward.

"It is time that their contract be fulfilled."

"How are we to do this? He won't go lightly…"

"Not to worry. He won't even know he's doing it." She said. She smiled at Hamilton and leaned away from the desk with a wicked smile spreading across her lips, "Hamilton, bring them to me and this will all end." Hamilton bowed and walked out of the room.

--

A bright light hit Angel in the face. He winced away from it and tried to move but found he was bound in place. He shifted slightly and cried out in pain. His arms were chained to the roof of what appeared to be a large warehouse. To his left he saw Spike and Gunn. To his right he saw Illyria and Connor. Angel tried to talk but no sound came out there was only pain. Suddenly a new pain shot through him. A needle in the back of his neck shot a hot liquid into his body. A figure stepped in front of the light but all he saw was shadows. His vision began to blur then he heard a laugh.

"This will all be over soon. Not to worry. You've caused us enough trouble, now its time for it all to end." Angel tried to focus but his mind began to wander. All of a sudden his dead heart began to race, his pulse quickened, and his breath, which had been dead for over two hundred years, caught when his mind went blank.

--

Galway, Ireland 2005

A knock came at the door that caused Ciaran to look up from his book. He took his reading glasses off his face; he waited a moment to see if the maid would answer the door; when she didn't he stood and walked out of his office to answer to continuous sound that pounded his door. He slowly unlocked it and stared into the face of a man he hadn't seen in over two hundred years.

"Well if wonders never seize, Hamilton was it?" He opened the door and allowed the man to step into his home.

"Mr. O'Connor. It is so good to see you." Hamilton allowed Ciaran to close the door and followed him into the living room. Ciaran's living room was large with huge bay windows. Hamilton admired the artwork and paintings and remained standing when Ciaran sat.

"I suppose you are here for a reason."

"We always have a reason."

"What is it this time?" Hamilton walked around the room and smiled.

"You have done well for yourself. This large home, a very prominent position in city council…your son-in-law is the mayor is he not? You have managed to do everything that we told you and have never been caught. Now it is time to fulfill what I had told you about all those years ago."

"Actually, you told me nothing. Just that one day you would come calling and here you are. So tell me, what is it that we must fulfill?" Hamilton handed Ciaran a yellow envelope with a smile on his face.

"You will be receiving a phone call with regards to your estranged son. I suggest you take the call and make something of it. In that envelope is some money, fake documents and the like. Some instructions also with regards to the medication you will find enclosed as well." Hamilton turned away from Ciaran and walked back to the door. Ciaran turned the envelope over in his hands and put it down on the table next to him. He watched Hamilton leave his house; as soon as he was gone the phone rang next to him. Ciaran shook his head and picked up the phone.

"Yes?" He said into the receiver.

"Mr. O'Connor? We have some amazing news for you sir, your son Liam…he's awake." Ciaran closed his eyes and let the phone fall from his fingers. He laughed slightly then picked the phone up from his lap. He held it to his ear and answered the call.

"Thank you. I'll be there with my family shortly." The line went dead and Ciaran hung up the phone. He stood slowly then walked to the back of the house. He opened the back door and stepped out onto the back patio. His wife was kneeling on the ground with her gardening gloves on. His two grandchildren raced around the backyard screaming. His daughter stood behind her mother with a hand on her large belly. Catherine tapped her mother on the shoulder and pointed to her father. Ciaran smiled and walked towards them. Marie stood and took her gloves off to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Ciaran, what is it?" She asked. He smiled at her and touched her face gently.

"It's time to bring our son home." Marie brought her hands to her mouth and hugged her husband. Catherine smiled and fell into her father's arms as well. He held his family and closed his eyes; soon his family would be complete.

--

Several hours later Ciaran met Tomas and his family at the hospital as well. Tomas stood with Nora and Murtagh while Alanna was sitting with her daughter Cassidy. Ciaran stood in front of his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. Nora hugged Marie and Catherine went to sit beside her niece. She placed a supportive arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Is this really it? Are we really about to do this? Lie to ourselves…"

"Tomas," Ciaran silenced him, "We have had many years to think on this and to reflect on what has happened to us. They have provided us the background now all we have to do is continue the story. From what I read in the documents, he will remember nothing of his past life. I turned my back on my son once, I will not do it again." Tomas took in the weight of Ciaran's words and nodded. It was true they had been spinning the lie for the last twenty years, when their first grandchild was born. This would be no different. A doctor walked towards them with a smile on his face. Obviously this was all part of the illusion.

"Mr. O'Connor. I don't know what to tell you. It's a miracle. Your son woke up several hours ago and seems to making a full recovery. It's a miracle. He's been asking for you." Ciaran nodded and followed the doctor down a small corridor to the ICU to room 314. He walked into the room to find a single bed with a large figure sitting up. His head was facing the bright window the sun hitting his face. Ciaran held his wife back and stepped into the room. He tried to be quiet but his son's head turned and a smile emerged on his face. The moment the smile spread across his features, Ciaran knew this was an illusion. The last time he had seen his son's face he had seen angry and hatred. Now he saw nothing but affection and love. Ciaran forced a smile and walked to his son's bedside.

"Father." Liam said.

"Liam, you have no idea how long we have been waiting for you."

"I'm not sure what happened to me, but I'm sure you'll explain it."

"Of course son, I'll explain everything."

"How long have I been asleep for?" Liam asked.

"Too long. But none of that matters now, you are awake and that is all that matters now." Ciaran signaled and allowed the rest of the family to come in. Marie fell to her son's side and hugged him tightly. He smiled and hugged her back. Catherine placed her hand in his and squeezed. Liam smiled at her and made a face at her large belly. She laughed and let tears fall down her cheeks. Liam noticed that Tomas and his family were there, including someone he would have given anything to see. Ciaran stood and allowed Alanna to sit next to him. Tears were falling down her face as she took Liam's face into her hands. She moved hair out of his eyes and smiled at him.

"I have been waiting for you for far too long." She said to him. She leaned into him and kissed him deeply. Liam returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

"I'm sorry." He said into her ear as she hugged him tight. Behind Alanna was a thirteen-year-old girl that he'd never seen before. He released Alanna and reached towards her. She slowly moved towards him and took his outstretched hand. Alanna took her daughter's hand and smiled.

"Cassidy, this is your father."

"She looks like you." Liam commented. Ciaran stood back and watched his son act and saying the things he'd always wanted. Tomas stood next to him and folded his arms across his chest.

"Can you live with this Ciaran?" He asked. Ciaran smiled and slowly nodded.

"I can."

"I hope you're right." Tomas and Ciaran watched as their lives unfolded before them. Liam had returned, but for how long neither of them knew.