Honorable
Sons: 29
by Josie_h
Notes
Two months had passed since the cathartic night and Connor still came to stay with his fathers once or twice a week. Willow’s hacking/negotiations had borne dividends, assuring the young man’s place close to home and happily Connor’s adoptive mother continued to improve.
The issue of a partner had not departed, however, and weighed heavily on the vampires and the witches but had not been brought up again in Connor’s presence. Instead the vampires focused all their attention on training their young charge. His hunting skills, learned in the harsh ‘school’ of Quortoth had been given a boost by his newly acquired senses, but there was still much to learn from the former Angelus and William the Bloody. Spike, and the now fully recovered Angel, found the hunting, sparring and lessons given in vampiric law consolidated their own partnership and allowing them to extend themselves also. Well fed and in peak condition, the hunts became harder, faster and more challenging each time, the sparring more complex and vicious, more often than not the latter following the hunt. All three reveled in the violence.
Inevitably the hunts turned ‘real’. Local demons of the ‘not so nice’ variety were targeted. Occasionally they would come across humans ‘worth the effort’ though Connor announced fairly early in their first month that the human wrong doers were simply not challenging enough. There were exceptions.
In the early hours of Friday some eight weeks into the process of training, he stumbled across a gang of six large men apparently mid way through beating up a homeless youth near the water front. With stealth worthy of any big cat, Connor launched his silent, adrenalin driven attack. He knocked three assailants unconscious with a round house kick and upper cuts at speeds no human could match, then downed two more with a swift left jab and heel of his right hand.
By the time the two vampires were within sight of the scene, the last man had moved from his victim, yelling expletives as he spotted his two friends falling at the hands of the unknown dervish. The bloodied victim on the ground had a long black coat and army boots immediately reminding Connor of his fathers’ hunting attire. Spike saw the glint of a long knife in the man’s hand, and both he and Angel watched in horror as Connor’s distraction caused his first delayed attempt at disarming the man, only to be met by a surprisingly adept counter attack. But what occurred next changed everything.
With the deep slice to his forearm bleeding profusely, Connor kicked his opponent in the chest hard enough to force the knife wielder backwards causing, him to trip over one of his fallen comrades. Connor kicked away the knife, and the older vampires watched as his fangs dropped as he pounced on the man. He bit down hard into the thick neck, drawing blood but primarily cutting the air supply. The body under him gave a gurgled cry, thrashed a little then stilled.
Angel and Spike sped forward to assist but were stopped in their approach by a definite warning growl from their young ‘destroyer’. Connor was still golden eyed and with his teeth embedded, he seemed unable to establish what to do next. Both vampires knew enough of predators and their kill to drop to their knees. Spike moved forward to within touching distance. He tore open his own wrist and with eyes averted, pushed it under the young man’s nose. He gave a soft rumbling purr as Angel also moved closer. Connor released his prize and took the wrist. After two hefty drafts he suddenly seemed to regain his bearings and reeled back from the body and his fathers in horror.
He was about to run but Angel was faster, all but diving across Spike to reach his son. Pulling Connor away from the scene, he threw his cell phone to Spike, trusting him to tie up the unconscious individuals and tend to the young victim until the police arrived. As a patrol car arrived a short time later, Spike melted into the trees and followed the trail of his Sire.
He found them concealed behind a thicket of low bushes, Connor seated, Angel laving the arm wound gently as he repeatedly petted and shot worried glances at his son’s fanged features, faint glow of magic and shallow breathing. Spike sat down on the opposite side of the boy to his Sire and wriggled forward in silence until their bodies were touching. He sent love and calm through their link, hoping the proximity would increase the intensity of the message. He felt a kick through the link as Angel did the same.
It was almost half an hour before the demon features faded and Connor finally ground out in a hoarse whisper. “Did I kill him? The one I bit…. Did I kill him?”
“No Pet, None dead, six heartbeats still there when the coppers arrived. Lad you saved was hurt bad, but still there too… he’ll recover. You saved ‘im pet.”
Angel was rubbing small soothing circles over his son’s shoulder blades. “What was different tonight dear heart? You don’t usually….”
“I…. I don’t even know what happened… I mean, the guy on the ground was… he had a duster and jackboots and….. then the bastard attacked and I smelt blood, then it…. well it was like something else took over… Not like usual… just um…” Angel stroked his son’s face and turned it to look at him.
“It’s fine Connor. You were more powerful tonight than I have ever seen before…. We can work with the bloodlust, hone it. This was the first time you felt it fully and you didn’t kill, you simply subdued.”
The barely audible reply came, “But I could have killed him.”
“Yes you could. And you would have to protect your own, as would we all.”
“But the fangs…” Connor’s gaze returned to stare forlornly at the ground near his knees.
“Now you know they’re not just for suckin’ me and your ol Da here…. Jus’ means you’ve always got a weapon on hand pet … brilliant!” With that, both vampires slipped into game face and grinned around their fangs, giving dual hearty growls of approval. Connor felt a rush of excitement with the sound and his own change came unconsciously as he gave a reciprocal growl.
Connor brightened a little as he considered the advantages, then lifted a hopeful gaze to meet Spike’s sparkling azure eyes. “Can you train me? You know, to use the fangs…. Can you two train me?”
“No problem pet, have ‘em sharp an’ deadly on command in no time…. Now let’s bloody well get home before we fry our arses with sunrise!”
……………………………………….
Willow had arranged for the Dawn to travel to San Fransisco during her summer break to take up some magical studies under the tutelage of F’Iaid and Willow, and working with a young guy called Connor. It was something that the young woman was thrilled about, but that left Willow distressed. She had withheld the primary reason for the invitation and had worried ever since that the young woman might simply leave again if she ever found out. She prayed hard to her Goddess for strength as she cheerfully collected the Dawn from the airport.
Two days later around dusk, Willow, F’Iaid and Dawn stood outside the vampires’ apartment, Dawn all but bouncing. She had been told they were going to meet her new ‘study buddy’ for the first time at his fathers’ apartment. Her eyebrows raised a little at the implications of the ‘fathers’, but decided that obviously it was either a wiccan thing or a San Fran thing, either way she wondered if the son was also gay. According to Willow, he was slim, handsome and had some awesome powers that needed training.
Willow rang the bell.
A sleep tousled Blonde vampire greeted them, only to be stunned as the former Key launched herself enthusiastically at him.
“What????....Spike???!!!!” The young woman squealed, hugged the blonde then promptly slapped him hard across the left cheek. “You… bastard!”
“Oi!!...
“You died and then…. Oh God *Spike*!” She hit him once more, hard, then collapsed into the vampire’s arms for a firm hug as tears caused black mascara to streak the young woman’s cheeks. She finally released him enough to stare at him, wide smile fixed firmly in place.
“Here witch I thought you would have….?” Spike looked across to Willow and trailed off as he felt sleepy affection push through the link, and saw his Sire wander into the entrance hall still pulling a black sweater over his head.
Angel smiled at Spike as he noted the younger Summers was ever so slightly taller than his mate and mused that she must tower over her ‘big sister’. He nodded at the witches “Willow… F’Iaid…” Dawn turned to greet the owner of the voice while wiping the black tear trails from her face, only to squeal for a second time.
“Oh My God!.... Oh My God!!! You’re Angel right?! Oh My God… But you’re dead too…. Well obviously… but you got really dead…. Oh you know what I mean! And so….” Dawn’s eyes suddenly went very wide… “So you two are…. Oh….”
“Together pet. Mated. Until we’re dust” Spike and Angel waited while the young woman processed the information.
“Far out! And so Connor’s….?”
“My son… our son… ” Spike stepped away from her hug to snake a loving arm around his mate, and squeezed a thank you for the public acknowledgment of their shared parenting.
“Far out…. Oh Wow…. Far *Out*! Wait ‘til Buffy hears about this!”
Two panicked males blurted out “No!” in unison.
“You can’t tell her Luv. We’ll do it in our own good time.” Dawn looked a little crestfallen, it was rare that she was privy to such an incredible piece of information before Buffy. Spike shifted the conversation a little, “Is she… you know OK?”
“Sure. Still dating the Immortal. He’s pretty dreamy… Oh….You knew she was with him right?”
Angel answered, barely suppressing a growl, “Yeah we knew.”
“Cool, so we’re all caught up… when do I get to meet Connor?”
Angel looked quizzically at Spike who answered for them both, “He’s out on the patio studying or some such. Said ‘e had one more final before the hols ‘pparently. Come on through.”