151Chapter 26
"You're awake!"
Willow smiled at Fred, her arm around Connor while the boy helped her down the stairs. "I see you guys couldn't fix the whole no-sun thing while I was unconscious," she chirped. She slid away from Connor, who watched her limp to the desk slowly. The amount of time she took to reach the others made it obvious they would need to find crutches or a cane for her. "What's been going on? Connie told me about Angelus, and that Buffy and Wes busted Faith out of jail?" Lorne passed her a mug, the contents steaming. "What's this?"
"A little brew from back home. Should get you good as new," he told her. "Anyway, about the second slayer. It was an act of desperation to leave Connor out of the hunt."
"You guys are getting real good at these acts of desperation," Will laughed drearily. "Sorry, I wasn't around to help with this one. And thanks for this… concoction. Will it help me get my energy back? I'd really love to heal this pesky leg."
"It sure will, little red."
"Even better. So, what else is new?"
"Well, Charles is still resting upstairs. His leg's hurting him bad too. We called Tara and Dawn to let them know what was what. Tara's worried. We promised you'd call when you woke up. Our scouting team's been out there for a few hours already, no word from them yet." Fred paused to think of what else Willow needed to know. "Oh, Xander and Anya came home from their honeymoon a few days early. Once Dawn filled them in on everything that was going on, they ran to the airport and switched their plane tickets."
"Anya wasn't happy," Connor commented. "But I think she just doesn't want to admit that she's scared for mom. Dawnie said she even called Giles."
Willow's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Anya called Giles?"
"She panicked when she heard about Angelus."
"Wow," The redhead pondered quietly to herself. "I mean, I knew Anya cared about us but you know how she is… Uhm, have we found out anything about the Beast?"
Fred nodded excitedly. "You won't believe it. So look at this." She gestured towards two books that were laid out on the table. "This is my copy of Rhinehardt's Compendium, and this is yours. The one you had Buffy and Connor bring when they came up from Sunnydale? They're identical, except." Fred flipped through a few pages her fingers scanning over both books to highlight the differences. "Yours has information about the Beast and mine doesn't."
Willow examined the books with a frown. "How does that make sense? It's the same book, isn't it?"
"Sure. Made of the same stuff, printed with the same stuff. Only difference is where we got'em from."
Her eyes widened with recognition. "Fred, that's it, you genius! This isn't my book."
"It isn't?"
"No, it's Giles'. He left it behind when he went back to England. Maybe we aren't finding anything about the Beast here in the U.S. because Jasmine did some mojo or something to protect him."
Connor leaned forward to look at the compendiums himself. "So what? Jasmine just erased him?"
"Could be. I'll call Giles, see if he has another copy to confirm it. For now, Fred, look through my copy. See if you can find anything about the Beast and how to-"
A bright yellow light shone in from the windows and glass doors. Connor was immediately on guard. "Get down!" he bellowed, picking Willow up bridal style and bringing her down with him. Lorne ducked behind the counter, shielding his face. "Fred! Get Down!" The woman was still running for cover, having used time up to grab Willow's compendium to protect it. She skidded to a halt just before she made it around to them. "Fred!"
"Guys wait…"
Fred stepped hesitantly towards the hotel entrance, smiling.
"Oh my god. The sun!" She dropped the book and fell into a full sprint to the courtyard, not even flinching when she threw the door open and it crashed noisily against the wall. "The sun! It's back!"
"Carry me out, youngin!" Willow demanded excitedly. Connor grinned at her and stood with one swift move. He placed her down gently when they got outside, soaking in the feel of the sun's heat on his skin.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life," Fred sighed peacefully.
"Well, ding dong, the beast is dead!" Lorne concluded cheerfully.
Connor was positively giddy. "She must've fought it. Mom."
"And Faith," Fred chimed.
"Yeah… they probably ran into it, and they must've-" Hope burst in his chest and he looked at them expectantly. "Do you think that maybe…"
Willow nodded firmly. "Angelus is nothing compared to that thing. They'll have him home by supper."
Lorne couldn't help himself. He hugged the teen close. "And if we're real lucky, maybe he'll be our Angelcakes again too!"
Connor paced back and forth in the lobby, anxious to see his mother. There was a tight feeling in his stomach, the kind he usually experienced when something was wrong, but he chalked it up to his mind playing tricks on him. Now wasn't the time to get fearful and insecure again. He couldn't wait for her to walk in so he could hug her or spin her around to rejoice in whatever victory they achieved today. Even if Angelus wasn't with them, the probable demise of the Beast was certainly something to celebrate, and was truly bettering the group's mood already.
"Any sign yet?" Fred asked as she swept the floors to kill time. The teen shook his head with a huff, moving away from his place at the door. "Don't worry, Con. They'll be here soon enough."
"They should've been here by now."
"They're probably just skirting around, trying to find a way home. You've seen the streets. Just 'cause the sun's back, doesn't mean the mess is gone."
Willow nodded in agreement. "In other news, I managed to reach Giles. He said he got that copy from an acquaintance, who just so happened to have bought it from an inter-dimensional black market. Jasmine didn't just erase the Beast from California or the U.S. She erased him from Earth completely. That's why we kept coming up with a big goose egg in our search."
"She must've been planning this out for a long time," Lorne pondered out loud.
"Do you think they saw her too?" Fred questioned.
"Maybe, sunshine," the Deathwok responded. "Let's hope that if they did, they gave her a sweet kick in the ass for us. Hey, how about you and I make sure a room is prepared for Faith."
"Sure. I think I've just about finished these floors anyway."
They went up, arms linked, discussing which room needed the least cleaning. "How about you sit down, kiddo?" Willow asked Connor when they were left alone.
"I just want to be ready when they get here. You know, just in case they got dad and need a hand bringing him down to the basement." He glimpsed at her, then to the floor. "I uh, meant Angelus."
She gave him a sympathetic smile. "We had trouble with that too, you know. Understanding the difference between Angel and Angelus. It was hard, easier for the rest of us, but Buffy was really torn up about it. I think she really hoped that she could draw out some part of him. We all realized a little too late that maybe Angel's got a little Angelus in him, but Angelus definitely had nothing of your father."
"What do you mean by that?"
Willow forced him to sit next to her as she carefully thought about how to phrase her answer. "Well, Angel's got the demon in him. All of us do, don't we? We all have our bad sides and thoughts that can't help but come out once in a while. On the other hand, Angelus is all bad, no soul for the potential to be good."
"The potential?" he frowned. "Doesn't the soul just make him good?"
"Oh, Connie," she chuckled. "You more than anyone should know that having a soul doesn't automatically make you good."
"…Holtz."
"Mhm. We all make our choices to be good or not. There was a chance that, after getting cursed, he would've still decided to give in to the demon. The fact that Angel didn't proves that he's a good man. And that's how we differentiate the two. We know who Angel is and how he cares and loves. Those are two things Angelus will never know or be."
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess." He didn't want to say that she held the same hopes his mother once had, that maybe he could find some small piece of his father in the soulless demon. Was it truly so foolish to hope for?
"You guys?" Willow, who had at some point wrapped her arm around Connor's waist and rested her head on his shoulder, turned to see Fred looking down at them from the balcony. She was leaning over the railing and fluffing a pillow, its case slung over her shoulder. "Are there any extra pillows somewhere? The ones Lorne and I found are a little worse for-" Fred let out a strangled gasp, her hand flying to her chest in horror. The pillow she was holding fell from her grasp and hit the lobby floor with a soft thud.
Willow and Connor stood quickly. "Fred, what-"
She pointed behind them, her hand shaking. The two whirled around. Faith was standing at the entrance, her shirt covered in blood. Wesley was on her left, something bundled in his arms.
The feeling in Connor's stomach returned violently.
"Oh my god, Faith!" The witch rushed forward, ready to heal her if necessary.
"It's not mine," she told them somberly when Willow began searching her body for an injury.
Connor glanced between the two, his stomach tightening even further. "Where's mom?"
"Kid…"
"Where is she?"
"Just stay calm, alright? It didn't go down like we planned and-"
His fingers itched to grab the slayer and shake the answer out of her. He clenched his fists and shoved passed them. "If you aren't going to tell me, then I'm just gonna go out there and find her myself."
"She"s at the hospital."
Fred gasped once more. Willow felt tears spring in her eyes. "What? What happened?"
"Angelus."
"It's why we took long to come back," Wesley explained somberly. "It took us time to find a hospital with enough staff to help her. It's nearby, just…"
Connor felt himself go numb. Wesley's voice faded from his hearing and Willow's words finally began to ring true.
"Angelus definitely had nothing of your father."
All at once, he understood who the demon was with perfect clarity, and it wasn't Angel. His father was gone, leaving the monster that Holtz hated so much. "Where is she?"
The balls of his feet crashed hard against the concrete as Connor ran to the hospital. The moment he had gotten the name out of them, he was already out the door and sprinting away from the hotel. They yelled for him to wait but he knew exactly which one they were talking about and where he needed to go. He passed by many people who were celebrating the sun's return in the streets, and it angered him to know that his mother paid a price for their happiness. His lungs began to burn, unable to take how he hard he was pushing his body, and tears were starting to blind him as he pictured Buffy unconscious and fighting for her life in a hospital bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an alleyway and, knowing it would shorten the distance he needed to travel, he quickly detoured into it. It took another few minutes and several twists and turns through the city, but he had finally arrived, never slowing down as he made his approach. If it hadn't been for the person exiting that held the door for him, he would have crashed straight through the glass.
The few people that were there were startled by the way he skidded and slammed into the receptionist's desk. The girl behind the counter yelped in surprise.
"Summers. Buffy. Where is she?"
"Oh! I, uh- well, I don't think we entered anyone into the system yet. Our power's been half down since our breakers got hit with that fire… rain… uhm. I'm sorry, maybe if you described-"
"Blonde. Tiny. Bleeding a lot," he snapped impatiently.
"A small- oh! Oh! Did she come in with a British guy? And a Brunette?"
"Yes, that's her."
"I think she just got out of surgery and was moved to ICU."
He shook his head. "ICU? What is that?"
"The intensive care unit. She had a very severe injury, sir."
"Can I see her?"
"Well, she'll still be unconscious. I'm unsure if I can even-"
"Please," he begged. "She's the only family I have left."
The receptionist bit her lip and nervously peered at the people around them. "… Alright. Ok fine, but you can only be in there for ten to fifteen minutes. It's down the hall that way, to the right. You'll see a sign."
He gave her a thankful smile before rushing away. At the end of the hallway, he was confronted with wide swinging doors that had "Intensive Care Unit" printed on it with big letters. He looked in through the window and noticed a handful of doctors and nurses walking in and out of rooms. They all knew that the demon spree during the blackout had left the streets and stores nearly empty, but he imagined there would be more people in a hospital. He supposed that faulty power would be a plausible reason, as well as the fear of leaving home.
With a shaky breath, Connor walked into the unit, peaked into the first room and found it empty. He did the same with the second room, then the third. He was about to reach the next one when someone tapped his shoulder. "Looking for someone?" they asked.
He nodded tensely. "Buffy Summers? She's my... I'm family."
The doctor patted his shoulder and directed him down the corridor. "I was the one that operated on her. I suppose you're the brother that her friends left to pick up?"
"Yeah, that's me," he exhaled. "Is she okay?"
"She's lost a large amount of blood, and we're going to need more, but we had her type for a transfusion. It wasn't a lot, but-"
"But?"
"But she's hanging in there now," the woman informed him. "By a thread."
"Well, how- how can we help her? When can you get more blood?"
The doctor stopped in front of a door and faced him. "To be honest, I don't know how soon we can get more. The large supply we had just disappeared. We were lucky to even have enough of her type left. We're still trying to figure out how it happened, but we haven't been able to talk to the police until now. They've been so busy helping out on the streets." Vampires, he summarized. When they couldn't find people, they probably snuck into the hospital and stole their meals. "We could test you, however. See if you match her."
"You mean I can give her my blood?"
"If it's possible." The doctor seemed confused with his lack of understanding, but accepted it nonetheless. "Would you like to try before going in to see her?"
"Yeah… yeah, of course."
"Follow me then…"
"Connor. It's Connor Summers."
A white later, Connor was walking back to Buffy's room, his sleeve rolled up and his arm wrapped with a blue bandage. The boy rubbed his face sleepily, having never felt what it was like for blood to be taken out of his system. He turned the corner and paused when he saw Faith and Wesley standing at the door. They both looked up at him with relief. "There you are, junior," Faith spoke. "We were scared you ran to the wrong hospital."
"When did you guys get here?" he asked.
"Thirty… maybe forty minutes ago." It wasn't long after him. "We brought everyone but the green one. Fred and Gunn are in the waiting room."
"Gunn's leg?"
"That's what they're waiting for. Willow offered, but he said he was fine with the normal, human way."
"Is someone in there?"
Just then, Willow walked out of the room. "Con! Thank goodness. I was so worried."
"Sorry," he muttered unapologetically. "Did you do anything to her?"
She shook her head. "I want to, but it would raise too many questions if she was suddenly in the clear. I did a spell to check on her though. It looks like she'll be okay."
"She will be," he agreed as a nurse passed by with his blood in her hands. "Excuse me." Connor followed the woman in, heading to the opposite side of the bed. His heart dropped when he noticed how pale and lifeless his mother appeared to be. Seeing the chair at the wall, he pulled it close and sat down. "Is that mine?"
The nurse smiled while she finished connecting the pack to his mother. "Sure is. Looks like your sister's one lucky girl."
After a few more minutes the nurse was gone and he was enveloped in the silence of the room. "Right about now you'd be chatting my ear off," he murmured, picking her hand up and bringing it to his face. He pressed her knuckles to the patch of skin just below his eye. "Can you believe it? Angelus was wrong… we do share the same blood."
A grin cracked his sad expression.
"I want to kill him," he confessed to the comatose slayer. "I do, I really do. Because I think of him, and I see him in my head, but I can't… I'm having trouble seeing dad. You wanted me to remember that, right? Well, now it's all I can think."
A tear trailed down his cheek.
"What am I supposed to do, mom? How am I supposed to make him pay for what he's done to you when he shares the same body as my father?"
"All this time I've been so scared of losing you again, I didn't even consider that I could lose dad too…"
Connor's tears fell freely. They had been so confident that nothing worse could happen, that Angel would return to them once they found out what they needed to know.
"I don't want to lose him," he whispered into her hand.
Buffy's eyes fluttered open. She examined her surroundings dazedly and realized she was in a hospital room. She sucked in a breath, immediately uncomfortable as flashes of her childhood phobia came to mind. She reached for the button near her fingers, hoping someone would come in so she could beg to be released, but was instead relieved when the door opened. "Will," she rasped joyfully. "What's happening? Why am I here?"
"You don't remember?"
She searched through her thoughts before remembering what happened. "Oh god, Angel. Where is he?!"
"Faith and Wes said they left him in the warehouse."
"What?!"
"Buffy, they had to get you to the hospital! You were dying!"
She groaned, clenching her fist in frustration. "Did anyone go back to check on him?! He's gonna murder himself for this!"
"Well about that…"
"What now?"
"You see, Connor… well."
"What is it?!"
Connor's eyes were bloodshot when he went out to the waiting room. Willow, Fred, Faith and Wesley were sitting together in the corner. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he approached them. "Gunn?" Fred waved her hand in the direction of the offices and surgery rooms. "Right."
"Can we talk, kid?" Faith asked politely.
"Can I use the bathroom first?"
"Sure, take your time." He nodded, walking away again. "Can you do it, Wes?" Faith nearly begged.
"Faith," Willow reprimanded. "We can all do it together."
"I just don't wanna be the bearer of bad news. I mean, how do you tell a kid that his dad's probably going wacko because he woke up skewering mommy?"
She rolled her eyes at her choice of wording. "Connor's stronger than we all think. He'll come through, especially now when his family needs him the most."
"Big guy's about to spiral into his broody angst, Prince of Sadness mode. Buffy and Connor's gonna have to do a lot of convincing."
"And they will, I know it," Fred added supportively. "Poor Angel…"
Minutes passed, and they were all beginning to wonder why Connor was taking so long. "Wes? Can you go check on him?" The man nodded and went off to the restroom. "He must be really torn up, having to see Buffy like that," the redhead murmured sadly. "I hope he's-" Her back snapped straight when she sat up at the sight of Wesley rushing towards them. "What-"
"He's gone. I can't find him anywhere!"
Buffy gawked at Willow. With her casted arm, she clumsily ripped the tubes out of her and rolled off the bed with great difficulty. "Buffy, don't! We're gonna find him, I swear! Just get back in bed and-"
"Willow, lay whatever whammy you need to on the people here and then we're out. God knows what he's going to do!"
"Buffy, Faith and Wes are already out there looking for him already! He'll-"
"No! My family needs me. Now do it!"