Honorable
Sons: 30
by Josie_h
Notes
“Connor?....” Angel was aware that his son’s study concerns were real so interruptions had, to date, been avoided when possible.
His son looked up and put his pen down in the process. “Hey…”
“Are you..um .. cause I can come back and um….”
Connor smirked a little, but answered near deadpanned and mock annoyed… “No …Critical moment in understanding lost…. but hey…. no big!” It was intended to be a flippant comment, yet as he turned he saw his father retreating miserably into the shadows. He held up his hands in supplication and sent love and reassurance through the link…. “Hey!!! Kidding…! What’s up?” He reached down, threw a marker in the book he was reading. then closed all three large texts over each other.
Spike chose the moment to barge past his mate and pull Dawn into the somewhat muted light of the patio. “Right . Well... If our ol’ Da here has gone schtum, allow me to present the Li’l Bit…. Mistress Dawn Summers…Lately of England, but hailing from the Summers of Sunnydale and sister to Slayer Buffy Summers, Wiccan in training and about to become your study partner.”
Connor was smiling politely at the initial intrusion but as he processed the information, went wide eyed remembering a few chats with Cordy pertaining to family history re Buffy/Angel relationships. “You’re Buffy’s sister?”
As Dawn stepped around Spike to see her ‘meet and greet’, she ventured a small smile at the rather androgynously pretty young man who stood wide eyed in front of her. As Spike had promised… he was indeed 'her type'. His eyes were dark blue, bordering on the color of the deep ocean, the hair was long straight and rakish, the body lithe, muscular and fine boned. If Angel had been a large lion then his son was more reminiscent of a jaguar. Dawn suppressed a giggle as she imagined what large cat Spike might be… definitely a slender white tiger.
Under the carefully constructed ‘hesitant but not afraid look’, Dawn gave a “Hey… Um and that would be a yeah … but Sooooo not a slayer… just so we’re clear!”
“Oh yeah….. ummm….. of course…” Connor appeared extremely uncomfortable, “And… ummm… hey… sorry… for the… umm…”
Dawn was a little tired and had spent more than a day traveling, so simply plonked herself down on the outdoor lounge right beside Connor and began to work toward a more relaxed level of conversation. It progressed as easily as it might given Connor’s relatively quiet nature, coupled with the fact that both individuals knew they were being brought together as ‘study buddies’ in the magical arts.
“No big…. Hey watcha studying?”
“Um just finishing off the last of my Economics degree – one more exam then I’m done… finished Arts last year… You?”
“Oh Languages and History… totally my gig.” Dawn grinned and all but bounced, “I studied for two years in Italy under this really cool professor called Senor Augusto… he was like a *dream*… Half our lectures were in coffee shops and we did stuff like go around all the old relics and, oh, and he even took us shopping … Can you believe that?! ‘Cause the Italian guys in our class (Oh my god totally dreamy but so… so not into magic or anything otherworld….) anyways, they were *so* into the shopping! It is *so* not a wonder that US guys have no fashion sense … that is except for the gay ones and obviously your dad…’s’ and given that they’re… oh now I am really boring you so… um….” She suddenly switched gears leaving Connor momentarily confused, “What’s the topic for the final?”
Connor had been in the ‘can’t get a word in so I’ll just be quiet’ category, but smiled a little as he noticed Dawn blushing profusely. He knew she was as thrown as he with all the magical training with him and the coming to this side of the world again. Nevertheless he was somewhat pleased that she was obviously impressed by the pile of texts on the low table…. titles on the spine like ‘Strategic Management of Multinational Business’, ‘Challenging Adam Smith’s Economics in a Global Market’ and ‘Sustained International Trade and Growth in Knowledge Industries’… not the stuff of an idiot.
It had not escaped Connor that this woman was beautiful, all long auburn hair and piercing blue eyes, tall, lean… and friendly. As she touched his arm, he pulled a random hefty text from the table and threw it open on his lap rather than embarrass himself with his rather ‘obvious interest’, then stammered his reply. “Oh um C..ComparativeInternationalTrade… You know, looking at various world conglomerates, implications, management and advantages for…” He looked up to see her blinding smile though noted eyes that had glazed over a little and immediately fell silent, then offered, “Sorry… just…”
“Hey no need! I’m sure the joys of ionic pillars in Rome and the me explaining it in Italian won’t interest you either…”
Connor was too quick to protest “Oh but it would!”
Dawn grinned and snorted, “OK well don’t say you haven’t been warned!”
Willow took out a homemade punch and finger food encouraging them both to partake and making it clear that they would be left alone for as long as they wished.
Dawn began as soon as Willow left, “So… you?”
“Yeah me….” Connor waited not sure what Dawn knew or how….
“You’re Angel’s pure blood son?” Dawn saw Connor’s face fall so quickly added, “That is *so* cool!!”
“Wha?”
“Well you know I’m Buffy’s sister right?”
Connor simply looked up and confused…”Well I was actually originally ‘the Key’ just a big old ball of energy when a bunch of monks decided on a pre teen to dump it into… using my sister’s DNA blah blah blah... the usual Helmouthy thing...”
The bizarre circumstance of both their creations, and the last exclamation were so odd that both parties fell about laughing, resulting in Dawn sitting against to Connor on his ‘outdoor lounge’.
“Yeah well, sounds like your protector and my ol’ Da are now lovers…”
“Only after both of them slept with my sister!”
“Wha???!!”
“Oh don’t even go there …..” Dawn was now stroking Connor’s arm and gave the still worried 'lad' a warm and knowing smile, “You know I think this magic study stuff might just work out….”
Two vampires with preternatural hearing and two witches who saw Angel and Spike’s smirk… Smiled and hoped… It might just be a wonderful summer after all…