Once Upon A Midnight Dreary

Author: D.M. Evans
Disclaimer - Don't own them. They all belong to Joss. I'm just using them for a holiday gift.
Rating - R (language, sexual situation)
Spoilers- Pretty much up to the current Angel episode but not really spoilery
other than ‘hey, Spike's in L.A.'
Summary -Dru knows Angel's big secret and she's out to use it to bring her boys back to her.
Author's Note #1 - Written For the Secret Santa Challenge at White Flag for Penguins
Author's Note #2 - Thanks to Penguins for the fun challenge, to Topaz angel for organizing this, to SJ for attempting to beta this before it turned into War and Peace and thanks to Jerrye and everyone at Fanfic Geography for the fun things to do in Los Angeles (Griffith Park's a real place, check it out)
Author's Note # 3 - Special thanks to SJ and Chris G-D for penning the vampire carols found within. And to SJ for editing this!

Angel paused in front of his closed office door. Harmony wasn't anywhere in sight; that didn't give him pause. He expected his secretary to be anywhere but at her desk. Harmony reminded him of the worst in Cordelia when she first came to work with him. He could only hope Harmony would improve in a similar manner but he was doubtful.

What halted Angel was the scents of bayberry and pine wafting out from under the door and the muted sounds of Silver Bells. He stepped into his office and froze again. The room was festooned with tinsel all around the windows and dripping from the ceiling. Lights of every color blinked and raced in a mind-numbing, nearly dizzying way. His desk had sprouted reindeer, Santa's and snow men to the point he had nowhere to work. The side tables were laden with candles and miniature villages. A retro silver tinsel tree stood against his precious necro-tempered glass windows with a spinning color wheel splashing the primaries onto the brilliant silver. A glowing Santa chimed Holly Jolly Christmas while an ice skating Victorian family gyrated on a magnetic pond to Greensleeves.

Someone was taunting him. Angel had made a concession to Fred's wishes and the holidays by putting out a stuffed bear with a Santa's cap on his desk. He had seen it in a shop and thought of Mr. Gordo, as absurd as that was, given that Gordo was a pig. Fred and Lorne had been underwhelmed by his Christmas spirit. This was just over top enough to be Lorne's handiwork but under the wintry candles' perfume Angel scented cigarette smoke and something familiar.

"Spike!" he growled. "Get out here." No one moved but Angel heard a smothered giggle, which explained the other familiar scent. "Faith?" He went around his desk and saw both of them huddled in the cubby hole. They looked up at him with big, innocent eyes. "What are you doing under there?"

"You came back to your bloody office early," Spike accused.

"We didn't have time to get to minimum safe distance," Faith added with a grin, crawling out from under the desk.

"I didn't even know you were in the States, Faith." Angel stumbled back a step as Faith hugged him enthusiastically.

"Just got here."

"Why are you helping him sabotage my office?" Angel nodded at Spike who dragged to his feet, lighting a cigarette. "Spike, I think that's illegal in here."

Spike flashed him a two-fingered salute, going to a long plastic tote box and dragged out more decorations.

"I wasn't helping really," Faith said.

"Spike, one more thing and you're going out that window," Angel said. That was the one good thing, in his opinion, about Spike having form again. He could actually kill his grandchilde if he wanted to.

"Talk about being a Scrooge," Spike said.

"Oh, like you give a toss about Christmas," Angel said, trying to find a place to sit. His teddy bear had been moved to his task chair. "You're doing this because you think it's going to annoy me."

Spike smirked. "Well, yeah."

"You've got your body back, Spike. I thought you'd be moving on if that happened," Faith said, picking up the bear and claiming Angel's chair.

"Spike's not going anywhere. He's too busy driving me insane." Angel settled for leaning against the door, mistletoe above his head be damned.

"This is the thanks I get." Spike waved a hand at Angel. "After I saved-

"Don't start on the 'I saved the world' bit again. I'm tired of hearing it. So you saved the world once. How many times did you try to destroy it?" Angel shot back, his eyes narrowing in irritation.

"That's rich, that is." Spike blew smoke rings. "Look who's talking, luv. For the record, I saved the world twice or did you forget who betrayed you to Buffy so she could put an end to you and Acathla."

Angel scowled. "And it cost you Drusilla. First time out you lose the love of your life and the second time you lose your body. Maybe you should just give up on it. You're not good at it."

"I'm a bloody sight better at it than some nancy boys I could name."

"Are you two gonna shut up so I can tell you why I'm here?" Faith poked the stuffed bear in the nose.

Angel came over and rescued it from her. "I was going to ask. I thought you were going to Giles' new home in England for a big Christmas celebration. He invited all of us, too, but..."

"Yeah, I know. You couldn't make it. Big surprise. We were all going to the estate." Faith drew the word out. Angel knew that Giles had taken over one of the large holdings that the Council had. The main headquarters and a bulk of the Watchers were gone but not all of them, not by a long shot and most of the money was still out there. "Even Robin and me."

"Heard they were making him a damn Watcher," Spike grumbled, taking train track out of the box. "You and he are still a thing then?"

Faith shook her head. "Too much baggage but I learned a little something about trying relationships instead of loving and leaving." Her dark eyes went momentarily sad.

"That's something," Angel said, picking up the train track as fast as Spike was laying it out. "No Christmas trains in my office, Spike. So, why are you here, Faith?"

"Business." She put her feet up on the desk, nearly taking out Rudolph. "One of the Council seers saw something big and bad heading your way, Angel."

Angel paused in his attempts to foil Spike who took advantage and dragged out the train engine. "Me or L.A.?"

"You. She specifically saw the souled vampire and said this something was going to cut the heart out of you." Faith shrugged. "She didn't think the vision meant it literally since she felt you were going to suffer...a lot, and not turn to dust."

"One of these days the Powers that Be are going to send a simple straight forward vision, no interpretation needed," Angel groused, smacking Spike on the back of the neck with the train track. The smaller vampire yelped.

Spike rubbed the reddening spot. "How'd you get picked to come save the Dark Avenger?"

Faith cocked an eyebrow. "Dark Avenger?"

"You should see his tights." Spike stabbed at Angel with the burning end of his mostly dead cigarette.

"I know you're kidding because." Faith sat up, leaning over the desk to get a good look at Angel. "He doesn't have the legs for it."

Angel gave her a stricken look and couldn't help but give his legs a critical glance. "Seriously, Faith, is that all you know? Obviously it was frightening enough that you thought I needed help."

"It freaked the seer and you will need me. Giles figured you might welcome a little Slayer help. Buffy was..." Faith trailed off, making a face. "I mean with you two..."

"She wasn't ready yet," Angel supplied.

"Sorry." Faith shrugged. "So I got tagged for the duty."

"And you miss out on the big party back on the new home front," Angel said, sadly.

Faith got up and started helping Spike with the train. Angel just rolled his eyes. "Christmas is about family, you know? I'm not part of that family. If anyone's my family, it's you, Angel."

"Stop before you make me sick," Spike grumbled and Faith chucked him on the shoulder hard enough to knock him over.

Angel smiled. "Thanks, Faith. I appreciate it."

She smiled back. "That and I punched out Andrew last week so things have been a little tense."

"They should have given you a medal for that," Spike said, taking the train's transformer out of the box.

"That's what I said. He was taking that Peeping Tom routine with his camera a little too far so I socked him." Faith flashed a wry grin. "Of course this came on top of me bitch slapping Kennedy the other day but she was asking for it."

"Damn, they should have knighted you for that one," Spike said.

"Faith." Angel put on his stern face. "You promised you'd stay out of trouble now that you're free again."

"Kennedy was the one who organized the others to throw Buffy out of her own house," Spike growled.

"Oh." Angel made a face. "Then that's okay."

"You know what happened in Sunnydale?" Faith looked shocked. "I didn't think Buffy told you about that. I didn't want that to happen, Angel."

"I know. Spike told me all about it," Angel said.

" I can't imagine you two sitting around talking about that...about anything really." Faith went over and took the train tracks from Angel, giving them to Spike.

"Not much else to do when you're a ghost," Spike said.

"Yeah, I can't imagine how glad you were to get your body back," Faith said.

"He's not the only one. I'm glad he's got his body back," Angel said, giving up and helping to construct the train set.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," Faith said. "I figured...I dunno, maybe you would prefer him like he was."

"I'd prefer him gone. Always have, since the day he clawed his way out of his grave," Angel said. "But Dru liked him. At least in this form, he can't ghost his way into my bedroom all the time. I'm trying to crawl into bed and there he is...all the damn time."

Faith snorted. "You kinky vampires."

Spike eyed her sourly. "It wasn't like that, never like that. I was bored. You run out of things to do pretty fast when you can't touch anything."

"So he entertained himself with whining to me all day and all night. At least now, I can keep him locked out of my suite, no more surprise visits. I'm not used to seeing him sitting on the edge of my bed without Dru and Darla being there," Angel said, then froze, fingers convulsing on a box car full of gifts. He managed to look supremely embarrassed. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Thanks for nothing, Peaches." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Not just kinky but incestuous, too. I mean you both were sleeping with your mothers and you were sleeping with your daughter, Angel." Faith shuddered.

Angel shrugged. "That's the way it is with vampires. Either you sire someone because you're recruiting for a big job or you do it because you found someone you want to spend time with."

Faith nodded. "That doesn't explain the orgies."

"That was just pure fun," Spike offered.

Before Faith could respond, a chirpy version of Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild started piping up from the pocket of her leather jacket. She pulled out the cell phone. "That's Giles for you. Now that's he's learned to use them he keeps reprogramming everyone's phone with classic rock." Faith flipped the phone open. "Yeah? Oh, hey, B. Yeah I made it here just fine...yeah, they're both with me right now. Say hi, boys!" Faith held out the phone to them.

"Hi, Buffy," they chorused.

Faith pressed it back to her ear. "Angel was just telling me about how he keeps finding Spike in his bedroom."

"That's not what I said," Angel snapped.

Faith grinned wickedly. "How should I know? Way I figure it, B, they're immortal and they're bored. They're experimenting a little. That or neither one could find real dates or something."

"Like hell I couldn't. I could have Fred any time I want her," Spike said, looking up from his decorating.

"You could not," Angel shot back.

"What was that? Okay, got it. Want to talk to them B? Okay, no time, I understand, I'm sure anything that makes its home in the Thames is gonna be a nasty critter. Give it one for me and I'll tell Angel what you said." Faith snapped the phone shut.

Angel's eyes widened and he made a hurry up chopping motion with his hands. "What did she say?"

"The seer had another vision about you, Angel. Even grimmer and it doesn't make much sense...well, at least not to us. She said it was going to strike at your blood family. Does that mean anything to you?"

Angel's face lost what little color it had and he struggled out a soft 'no.' He could tell Faith didn't believe him for a moment.

---

"How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget." Connor crooned along with the cd player as it shuffled in Hotel California as he danced around the pile of paper in his large dorm room, a bottle of Killian's held above his head.

"Finals are over," Javier, one of Connor's three roommates said, tossing a book across the room.

"For you. Some of us aren't done yet," Damien shot back.

"All you have to do is turn in your screenplay." Javier waved him off. "And all Brian has to do is pulls some poems out of his ass."

"It's not like you haven't had that play done since before you even got here." Connor collapsed on his bed.

"I know," Brian said. "We don't have real majors."

"You said it, not me," Connor replied. Being a freshman, he had ended up stuck with three roomies but the college had made an attempt to pair off people of similar interests. It made sharing a large suite with three other men a little more bearable. He and Javier were biology students while Damien and Brian were English majors. Finals were over for him and Javier but no one had headed off for the Christmas holidays just yet. There was some serious partying to do. Besides, his mom and dad and sisters were in Canada skiing. Dad was stuck on his time off from work for Wolfram and Hart's acquisitions department and couldn't wait for his only son to get done with his first semester of classes. Connor hefted his book and shoved it under his bed. "Good bye Lotka-Volterra Models of Predation!"

Javier kicked the pile of papers Connor had been dancing around. "Farewell niche theory."

Connor shoved all the notes off his bed. "See you in hell ecosystems of California."

"Who are you two fooling?" Brian snorted. "Ecology couldn't have been that hard. I mean, it was organic chemistry you girls were whining about all semester."

Connor got up and stomped over to where his friends sat on the floor in front of the television. "Never say that class name again."

"At least it's out of the way." Javier shuddered.

"Why don't you two tell us the chemical composition of what's in this?" Damien waggled a multicolored glass bong at Connor.

"Rather leave it a mystery." Connor took a hit off the bong and passed it to Brian. "Know what this party needs?"

"Chicks," his roommates said in unison.

Connor nodded. "Exactly."

"Man, you've been whining about your inability to get laid ever since Tracy dumped your skinny ass." Damien snorted then broke into a chorus of 'I can't get no satisfaction.'

Connor scowled. "Real mature, guys."

"Think the bong's dead," Javier said, disappointed. "Want to head to the Belly Up To Bar?"

"Need you even ask?" Knocking back the rest of his beer, Connor struggled up. He pulled the towels away from the cracks in the door while Brian snuffed out the incense sticks that were fooling no one.

Once at the Belly Up To, Connor showed his good fake I.D. bought with Daddy's money. It was wasted in this bar since no one looked at I.D.. The seediness of the bar was only surpassed by how stuffed to capacity it was. The music shook the rafters, loud to the point of painful. Connor had always had superlative hearing. At times like this, he considered it a curse. His nose was equally sensitive and he didn't really like being in bars. Bars irritated him. Cigarette smoke wasn't the worst. Perfumes and colognes were. He hated them, especially those who didn't know you didn't have to swim in it for it to work. Still, he put up with it because he wanted to be a regular kid, doing the same things everyone else did. He was willing to put up with a lot to keep that semblance of normalcy.

His buddies took their ill-gotten beers and shoved their way deeper into the bar nearer the dance floor. The dance floor was a lost cause, packed with students celebrating the end of finals; a last blow out before going home to mom and dad and acting like little angels for the holidays. After the waitress came by with their second round of beers, Damien nudged him. Connor looked up at his friend. Damien was taller than him, just as reedy with skin so dark it gleamed like velvet.

"What's up?" Connor asked.

"I think you have an admirer." Damien pointed with the bottom of his beer bottle. "God knows why."

Connor rolled his eyes then took a look at the girl Damien had pointed out. She regarded him with keen interest. She wasn't a girl, he decided instantly, a woman. She wasn't all that much older than him though, but enough to be intriguing. Her eyes were intense. He wished he could tell their color but it was too dark. Her willowy body reminded him of a ballerina. He could imagine her pirouetting across the stage in a dress of shimmering white. He'd never confess it to anyone, except for Tracy, but he loved ballet. His ex-girlfriend had a body like this woman's. Eating twigs and whatever the hell else vegans ate contributed to Tracy looking like a celery stalk.

Now that he thought about it, Connor couldn't remember why he had ever gone out with Tracy. He liked big, bloody steaks and she wouldn't even go out with him if there was a chance he might order one. And he didn't really like blondes like Tracy. He preferred brunettes like the woman watching him.

The stranger's hair fell in walnut ringlets framing a heart-shaped face. Her chin was a little too narrow and pointy for Connor's taste. Still, there was something about her that was utterly compelling. Of course, that could be because she seemed interested in him and he was almost nineteen and hadn't been laid in what seemed like forever. Tracy had broken up with him within a month of them going to college. There was the girl in his ecology class who liked him but she had been blue balling him every time they went out. He didn't really count the one girl from the homecoming game. That was the first and last time Connor had played with Ecstasy. It left him too out of control. Neither he nor the girl could remember if they had had sex, only that they woke up naked in her bed. He promise himself that would never happen again.

"Go for it, Connor," Brian said, giving Connor a shove.

"I don't like the looks of her," Javier put in. "I get the feeling of someone walking over my grave."

"Ignore him," Damien said dismissively.

Connor shrugged. Javier was superstitious, into all that Santeria stuff that kinda creeped him out. He was more inclined to go along with Damien and Brian's urgings. "Won't hurt to talk to her." He went over to her. She was shorter than he had first though. Even in the dimness of the bar, he could see her eyes were slate blue now that he was close to her, almost the same shade as his own. He smiled at her. "Hi." He knew he could come up with a better opening line but he hated using lines. They always sounded so dumb.

She did something that surprised him. She reached out and touched his cheek. "I dreamed you into existence."

Connor raised an eyebrow. Maybe Javier was on to something. He shook off the frisson of fear. He was being silly. She was probably just drunk or rolling on X. "Was it a good dream?"

Her eyes brightened. "The best kind."

He grinned broadly. "I like the sound of that. Can I get you a drink."

"Later."She ran a red lacquered nail along his neck. "Do you hear it? The night is singing and all the players are on the stage."

'Boy, she's on some fun dope,' he thought. Maybe she was a theater person. The ones he had met hanging with Damien had all been a bit odd. He liked her accent at any rate.He glanced over at his friends who grinned and made various hip motions. He rolled his eyes. "On stage? Do you know Damien?"

Her eyes flicked over at his friend. "The wordsmith? Yes, he makes the players dance on the screen. Such delicious talent."

That mystery solved, a high theater chick. "So, do you want to dance or something?" he asked.

She cooed, the pink tip of her tongue caressing the upper bow of her lip. Connor couldn't help but watch the sensual movement. She caught his chin, tipping his face down. His eyes couldn't tear away from hers. He was adrift in a sea of cerulean. It was a comforting feeling. "You already know what I want, little brother."

"Brother? You into a cult or something? Cause I'm not into that scene." Connor took a nervous step back, her long nails grating along his stubby chin. It felt like that motion took all his will.

She moved with him, her fingers brushing through his soft bangs. "You'll like what I have to offer. All fun, no guilt, no regret." Her lips twitched. "No cult."

"Good cause that stuff weirds me out."

"Biggest cult for you." Her fingers traced the Celtic cross he always wore under his shirt. "Blood of the son. That's a good, sweet thing." Her eyes got bigger, more illuminated, pulling him in further, overriding the little voice that warned him this strange woman with the wispy spooky voice was trouble.

"Um, so do you want to dance or something? I'm Connor by the way."

"Ummm," she purred. "Wolf-lover, warrior, a powerful name." Her fingers played over his, rimming his beer mug, coming away with drops of amber. She sucked them clean as the music slowed down going to something romantic. His eyes were fixed on her lips as they worked her fingers. She pulled him toward the dance floor.

Connor waggled his mug in his friends general direction knowing they had to be watching, hoping for him to get shot down so they could laugh. Brian snagged the mug and Connor took his Goth. girl into his arms. He wasn't sure why he thought of her that way. She didn't wear the make up or clothes but something about her screamed 'Goth.' Maybe it was the whiteness of her skin.

She danced enticingly, touching him light like a feather. The little touches weren't sexually placed but arousing just the same. Connor could swear she knew him inside out, like she was inside his head. Maybe there was something to that soulmate crap Tracy believed in. Not that he felt like he had found his nor was it love at first sight. Lust was another thing entirely.She was obviously older than him but he didn't care. He wanted her.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"Drusilla." Her lips were close to his ear. She caught the lobe with sharp teeth and nibbled.

"That's an old name isn't it?" His hands traveled down her slender back. "I like it."

"The moon says it's time to go, Little Brother." She twisted out of his grip then slid a hand into his, pulling him off the dance floor.

Connor stumbled after her, feeling out of control drunk. He half wondered if she had dropped something into his drink. Three beers and a little pot usually didn't hammer him like this.He tried to steady himself, wishing she'd quit calling him 'little brother' since it was hard to have lusty feelings towards someone who might be seeing him in all the wrong ways. "Where are we going?"

She smiled over her shoulder at him. His mouth made a little 'O' as the light turned on in his muzzy head. He disengaged from her and went to his friends.

"I'm going, guys," he said.

"No way," Damien said, looking over Connor's head at Dru. "You so did not talk her into something."

"I did so. You three stay away for an hour," Connor said.

Brian snorted. "Hour? More like five minutes."

Connor gave him the finger.

Javier looked at him nervously. "Are you sure, Connor?"

"You can be such an old lady, Javier. Look at her, she's hot."

Connor didn't wait for more worries or jibes. He went back to Dru. "Come on, my place isn't far."He scowled as they headed outside. It was cold and pissing down rain. Neither of them had an umbrella but Dru didn't seem to care. She danced in the rain. He took her hand. "We're gonna freeze out here."

He pulled her along, breaking into a jog. She seemed to keep up with him effortlessly despite her high heels. The Belly Up To was only a few blocks from the dorm but Connor was out of breath by the time they got inside. Dru had no such problems and he felt embarrassed about being out of shape. Her hair was stuck to her face and her dress plastered to her body. He could see her pert nipples standing up against the clammy cloth. "I'm up on the fourth floor."

He led the way, feeling a definite dampening of his amorous mood. He was chilled to the bone from the run in the cold winter rain. He opened the door and immediately went to the closet pulling out two thick towels. He was surprised to see Dru standing outside his dorm room. "Come on in and towel off before your catch your death of cold."

"That would be such a terrible thing." Drusilla came in, shutting the door behind her and accepted the towel. She dried her hair, poking about the room.

"I could let you borrow some of my clothes and we can put that dress in the drier," he said, hoping there might be an interlude between stripping and redressing. Dru said nothing. She captured him with her towel, pulling him close. He put a hand on her cheek, her flesh cold under his fingers. "You are so chilled." He frowned, lust totally killed. He felt guilty more than anything. "I think we might have instant coffee around here if you want some."

She put a finger to his lips, her eyes meeting his. Connor suddenly forgot why he was so worried. Dru guided him backwards, making him sit on his bed as if she already knew which was his. She sat next to him, their hips touching. She stroked the cross under his shirt again. "May I see it?"

Connor shrugged and pulled the cross out from under his shirt, flicking his wet hair back in the process. "My parents got it for my Confirmation."

"Such a lovely bauble. May I?" She held out her hand.

Connor unhooked it and Dru took it by the chain. She let it swing in front of her eyes. "It's pretty. Look at it," she demanded.

Connor did so, his head going heavy. He had to be more drunk than he thought. He thought he heard Drusilla telling him to be in her but couldn't focus on what that meant. All he saw was his swinging cross and her blue, blue eyes behind it. Suddenly the cross moved out of sight and her face was before his, so close he should have been able to feel her breath.

Her lips, cool, so cool, pressed against his. She pried his mouth open with her tongue, tasting him. He heard her saying something, calling him little brother but he felt suddenly afraid. He was pushing against her, trying to squirm off the bed.

Clear as a bell he heard her say, "Enjoy this, Little Brother," and her hands buried themselves in his hair, crushing his lips to hers.

And he did enjoy it, immensely. He was so very hard but not embarrassed by it. Her lips passed over his chin and pressed against his neck. Connor felt a burst of pain and managed to get an arm up between them. Dru peeled it back, her lips working against his neck. It felt better now, warm and wet. She paused in her suckling and said, "Enjoy it to its fullest, Little Brother."

Connor was only dimly aware of ejaculating in his pants as he stopped resisting, wrapped in a warm blue comforting blanket. She cradled him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

---

Heedless of the rain, Dru looked at the large building looming before her. She liked how the water falling from the dark sky added extra twinkle to all the Christmas lights. Dru loved this time of year. She always had. She remember the smells of roasting goose filling her parents' house, the cheerful bustle of the maids and cooks, all the lovely food vying with the chrysanthemum, holly and candles the color of blood on the table. Dru swayed, remembering that first burst of flavor biting into a mincemeat pie and all those sweet desserts that Mummy didn't want her eating so much of, like plum pudding and the grape glace that her sisters argued over who got to heap the ice around the molds to freeze the dessert.

Her favorite treat was ribbon candy. Dru could taste it even now. She loved the whole season. Playing whist with her girlfriends in Mummy's parlor, watching the delight of their friends as they picked a ribbon from the jar to get the walnuts that had been hollowed out and a trinket glued inside; gambols in the snowy parks with her chaperone and Ashfield Killingsworth, the mousy, scrawny son of one of her Daddy's friends. Those were the days when she learned to keep her visions to herself, when she still hoped to be a good wife, maybe to Killingsworth; then her dark daddy had found her.

Dru had paused on the way from the college to watch longingly a display of skaters that moved and whirled on fake ice, a little tabletop delight in a store shop window. That had been the best part of the winter holidays, skating with her sister. She had even taught Angel how to skate much to the amusement of Darla and the bruising of both her and Daddy's backsides.

Humming God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Dru glided toward the entrance of Wolfram and Hart. She knew how to circumvent the magic guarding the place. The guards would never even notice her. It was time to bring her boys home. She had been alone too long. If she concentrated, she could plan and live just fine without them but all that concentration made the songs of the wild go quiet. Dru hated that. Besides, it was more fun as a family.

Still, she knew it would not be easy. It would take time to woo them back. Daddy was easy. She would only have to bring Little Brother to see him and that would be enough. It would be harder to win back her darling Spike. Still, she knew his heart, what he craved and she could give it to him.

Dru followed her senses, physical and psychic, leading her to a room strong with Angel's presence. She was almost surprised he wasn't behind the door. It was nearly dawn and Daddy wasn't one to go to bed on time, if at all some days. He was a restless creature. She smiled at all the wonderful holiday toys inside. Daddy had the skaters she coveted.

She left the room going up the stairs to the very top of the building. She could brush her fingers through the sky this high and play with the stars. There was no need to bother Daddy tonight. She only wanted Spike. He was right where she expected him to be, asleep good and early. The TV was turned on for when he woke, like he so often did, in the day. He practically glowed in the dark, his skin so moon pale and beautiful. How she loved him. The covers rumpled around his waist in the warmth of the room. Dru longed to just crawl in with him but forced herself to remember her plan. All that concentration was going to make her head moan.

Dru took out the cobalt-hued tears' jar she had in her crimson purse. During the days she had made Spike hers there had been a revival of the roman tear jars. She had had a collection of the jars, enamored of the idea of keeping a lovers tears close by.

The liquid in the jar was cooling, thickening but it still would taste like ambrosia. Dru didn't know why Little Brother's blood tasted like a Slayer's but it did. Her nerves were still tingling, fire singing through her body making everything more alive just like the first taste of Slayer's blood Spike had fed her in China. He had promised her it was an aphrodisiac and it had been. Little Brother's blood had awoken her, giving her those wonderful feelings in her best, most intimate parts. Too bad she had rendered him unconscious too quickly. Next time she would sample him more slowly.

Little Brother might enjoy a long life so long as she could keep him under her thrall. He was so sweet and tasty that she could never bear to kill him. She wasn't sure if he would taste like honey if she made him her childe so for now he lived. Only Daddy didn't need to know she couldn't kill him. So long as he thought she might hurt Little Brother she could make him do what she wanted.

As for Spike, she knew his appetites. She dipped a finger into the tears' jar and rouged Spike's lips lightly. He didn't so much as twitch. Taking more blood Dru pressed her finger into Spike's mouth slowly. His tongue lapped at her and he rolled onto his back. Dru pulled away then stood very still letting him go back to sleep. He murmured something that sounded suspiciously like Faith and Harmony and Dru doubted he was dreaming about that kind of holiday good will.

She moved in and kissed his forehead leaving the perfect imprint of her lips on his pale flesh. Dru left his room, her tongue poking into the tears' jar getting the last of the blood. She stopped by Daddy's office and stole his skating music box. Dru headed down into the sewers as the sun was peeking out from behind steely blue clouds. She knew the plan was well on its way. The bricks around her told her so.

Chapter Two

"You have 'problem' face," Faith said, sauntering into Angel's office. It was just a little past noon but she hadn't expected to see him there. She liked her vampires to be asleep in the daylight hours. That helped things to make sense.

"I think one of Spike's decorations has gone missing," Angel said, reclining back in his chair, surveying the North Pole chaos.

"How can you tell?" Faith perched on the desk.

"I can tell." Angel's voice brooked no doubt.

"Some gifts have appeared under the tree." Faith jerked a thumb at the silver tinsel tree.

"Fred, who was muttering ominously."

Faith cocked an eyebrow. "Fred? Ominous?"

"She kept saying this would never do. There's going to be a real tree in my suite. I can feel it. It doesn't matter how many locks I put on the door, there'll be a tree with gifts blocking the TV," Angel moaned, a very put-upon expression on his face.

"Uh-huh," Faith said, trying not to smirk. "I feel your pain. Since when did you start watching TV?"

He eyed her sourly. "It's not really right, all this Christmas cheer, at least not where I'm concerned, or Spike."

Faith bobbed her head. "I could see how it wouldn't be a big vamp holiday."

"Not really." Angel shrugged. "Oh, Dru and Darla liked it well enough or at least used it to extort gifts from me and Spike."

"I can totally see you two in competition to prove yourselves to your women," Faith said and Angel snorted.

"No contest, luv. I always beat him, no matter what," Spike said ambling in, looking fresh from bed. His hair was curling and unruly. Faith wasn't used to seeing him like that. Even more odd was the red smudge on his forehead. She was pretty sure it was lipstick.

"She was talking about which of us was the biggest idiot." Angel smirked.

"Where's my skaters go?" Spike asked, tossing himself into a chair after giving Angel the two-fingered salute.

"Told you something was missing," Angel said, cocking an eyebrow at Faith who rolled her eyes.

"Gets weirder, Peaches." Spike stretched. "I had the strangest dream. I dreamt someone was hand feeding me Slayer's blood. I could still taste it when I woke up." Spike's head lolled so he could look at Faith and it was a long, licentious look. "You were there, Faith."

She curled her lip at him. "And only in your dreams. But that doesn't explain the lipstick on your forehead."

Spike sat upright, shock on his gaunt face. "What?

Angel tapped his own forehead to indicate the spot. "I was afraid to ask about it."

"I wasn't with anyone." Spike tensed, his eyes wide.

"Damn." Faith rolled off the desk top.

"Are you sure this big nasty thing they sent you to help with is after me, Faith?" Angel asked.

"We thought so but maybe it was Spike." Faith dug her cellular out of her pocket. "The seer just saw a vampire with a soul and we all assumed it was you, Angel. It's kinda easy to forget Spike's a copycat."

"Hey!" Spike huffed. He pointed at Angel. "Rough draft,"û then tapped his own chest. "Masterpiece."

"A masterpiece of what? Someone who doesn't even wake up when an intruder kisses him on the head?" Angel grumbled.

"There was something..." Spike rubbed his forehead clean. "I could have sworn there was a hint of Dru's perfume in my room. I kinda thought I smelled it when I came into your office, too."

Angel scrubbed a hand through his hair, feeling it was getting a little long. "So did I...it isn't possible."

"Why not? She's alive, right?" Faith asked.

"There are so many anti-demon and vampire-sensing spells on this place, it's scary," Angel said.

"Our Dru knows how to do magic of her own," Spike replied. "But if she was here, why leave me a kiss and steal a Christmas decoration?"

Angel shrugged. "Spike, I gave up on Dru making sense a century ago. But if it was her, she had a reason for everything she did."

"Half the fun with Dru is figuring out if there's way to relate her reason to the rest of the world." Spike got up and started winding all the musical decorations up.

"Spike, don't you dare," Angel warned.

"Helps me think."

"You'll run out of decorations before anything sparks in that empty skull," Angel shot back.

"Is that what passes for wit around here, plonker?" Spike asked, going out into the hall and pushed in more boxes. "I've got plenty of ammunition."

"Spike, where did you get all this garbage?" Angel moaned as Faith dialed out on her phone.

"I have my ways. Do those bloody phones actually sound good reaching half way around the world?" Spike nodded at Faith as he opened the top box, pulling out more icicles for the tree.

Faith shrugged. "It's Giles-Willow magic powered. Clear as a bell and free, too, but I'm not supposed to mention tha...oh, hi Giles. Wasn't expecting you but you're better than Buffy for this anyhow. Do we know if the seer actually saw Angel or just a souled vampire because we think Dru paid Spike a visit last night. I can't remember the exact words," Faith said, watching Angel get between Spike and the tree. The taller vampire had silver icicles all over his head. "Do you want to talk to one of them? Right now they're mostly throwing Christmas ornaments at each other...no, sadly I'm not kidding. But it's fun to watch, sort of like a train wreck, you know. Uh-huh, okay, Angel, Giles wants to speak to you."

She handed over the phone and Spike took advantage of Angel's distraction by loading up the tree. Helping Spike, Faith started by taking a large tree skirt from the box and moving all the gifts so she could get the gaudy red velvet, gold trimmed and red crystal encrusted piece of cloth under the tree. Faith listened to Angel doing little more than grunting a few affirmations into the phone before giving Giles the short version of what had happened over night. As Spike plugged in bells that played Christmas carols over the window, Angel gave the phone back to Faith.

"Giles needs to speak to you," he said then went over and started crushing Spike against the window, trying to wrest the electrical plug for the bells from his hands.

"Hey, if you two break that necro-glass, you both fry," Faith reminded them. "Sorry about that Giles, go on. Uh-huh, nothing more than that? Okay, but do we really think I'm needed here? If it is Dru, surely Angel and Spike can handle her. No, that's not it. I kinda want to spend Christmas here. Okay, I'll let them know. Bye." Faith looked at the vampires. "They want me to stay."

"Giles said the seer saw me specifically," Angel guessed.

"I guess so. It's hard to hear over all the noise in here," Faith leveled a glare at Spike. "Those Christmas carols are going to drive someone to kill."

Spike unplugged the bells, grinning "Bloody torture, they are. It's what I'm counting on." Spike laughed.

"I'm glad that amuses you," Angel said, wryly.

"No, I was just thinking, remember those carols we made up?" Spike asked.

"You made up Christmas carols?" Faith asked in disbelief.

"To amuse Dru," Spike said then sang, "On the first day ofû Christmas, my true love ate with me, the doorman at the Hotel Coventry." He gestured at Angel. "You remember this. We did it for all twelve days. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love ate with me...twelve bums a-sleeping, eleven lovers romancing, ten shoppers shopping, nine drunks a'staggerin', eight skaters skating, seven waiters waiting, six preachers praying,û five whores whoring, four altar boys, three French men, two toddlers toddling and the doorman at the Hotel Coventry."

Angel wagged his head as Faith stared at them eyes wide, lips forming into an 'O.' "I had forgotten about that. You came up with that one. I think mine was, Silent night, Bloody night. All is calm, All is bright. Round yon shopkeep, we circle in wait..."

"Ouch, your singing has gotten worse, Peaches. How is that possible?" Spike rubbed his ear.

"You are joking about these songs, right?" Faith shuddered. "No, I know you're not. Okay, you do realize how sick that is, right?"

Angel gave her a sheepish look. "No souls then."

"It's funny when you're a vampire," Spike assured her. "So what did ol' Rupert have to say?"

"That the seer insists I need to be here and that it's Angel in trouble." Faith gave them another disgusted look. "So, I guess that means you two can put your heads together and figure out what Dru might be up to while I hit the streets and see if I can find out if anyone knows about her being back in town, then I go after her and that's that."

Spike shook his head. "You don't know our Dru, luv. You shouldn't be going up against her alone."

"Hello, Slayer, remember?" Faith slung her hair back, a cocky cant touching her lips.

"Spike's right, Faith. Dru isn't an ordinary vampire," Angel said. "She's the one who killed your predecessor, the one who made you a Slayer. And it was no muss, no fuss, Kendra didn't even raise a hand to her."

"Maybe she wasn't very good at her job," Faith countered.

"Maybe but Dru can get into your head, make your will hers. She can make you see things that she wants you to see, make you do what she wants you to," Spike said, with obvious pride.

"And she's a seer," Angel added. "Not to mention insane."

Faith frowned. "Okay, first order of business then is for you two to tell me everything I need to know about Dru. Could she really have gotten in here? What did she feed Spike in his sleep? And what the hell does she want?"

"We'd better go up to my suite and get comfortable," Angel said. "This is going to take a while."

---

Connor scrubbed hard at his skin, feeling dirtier than mere hot water and soap could clean. He had woken up to the sonorous sounds of Brian snoring. That wasn't unusual. What was, was the fact Connor was asleep, fully clothed, his feet on his pillow and Drusilla nowhere to be seen. He hoped she had just gone to the rest room but it quickly became clear she had left in the middle of the night.

He was humiliated. His friends knew he had left with a girl but they might not expect her to spend the whole night. His embarrassment stemmed from the fact he had fallen asleep on her. Worse, when he stretched and went to get up, he felt his boxers sticking to him. A trip to the communal showers confirmed his worst fear; he hadn't even got his gun out of his pants before it went off. He ran back to his room, grabbed up all his bedding, some other clothes, his bath robe and the laundry detergent.û With the wash started, he got his bath stuff, some pants, headed for the showers and started scrubbing.

When he first moved into the dorm, the guys used to razz him about his girlie soaps but within a month they were all asking him to get them some. His mom had a good little business making her own soaps. His favorite was her jasmine and honey one. He never could figure out why since it was such a feminine scent. He probably should stick to the pine ones his roomies liked. But today even the scent of jasmine couldn't calm him.

'No wonder she left. Who wants a guy who's not only Quickdraw McGraw, he passes out on her too.' That thought kept whirling through his mind. He only hoped his friends didn't guess about his little problem. He couldn't think of why they would. This hadn't happened to him since that time when he was a sophomore and Ms. Piazza, the drama teacher, kept trying to teach him how to move on stage. He would have been able to move just fine if she hadn't been behind him trying to move him like a giant doll.

Finally dragging out of the shower, Connor decided he wasn't going to mention any specifics about last night upon pain of death as he toweled off. The room spun a little as he did so. He must be starving to be this light headed. He tried to find a sink that wasn't disgusting so he could brush his teeth. He pitied the custodial crew for the dorm. The kids tended to live like animals. Before brushing, he gave his face a once over to see if shaving would actually be necessary. He grew an embarrassingly poor beard. Connor spotted the giant hickie on his neck. Well, at least he had had some fun before passing out. However, his cross was gone. He never took it off and he hadn't seen it in his bedding. Losing his cross bothered him.

Squeezing out a glob of whitening toothpaste onto the brush, he wondered what had gotten him so hammered. Yes, he had had some beers and a little pot but usually he handled it a lot better. Maybe she had drugged him but did girls actually put Rohypnol into boys' drinks? Date rape drugs were more of a guy thing, a really disgusting thing. Connor felt any guy who felt the need to remove a woman's right to choose needed to be strung up and used as a piÀata. He had heard guys joking about getting themselves a sex slave but he had never found anything funny about it.

'You just survived your first round of college finals. You're exhausted. That's why you passed out, nothing more sinister than that,' he mentally reassured himself as he headed back for his room. By the time he got there, the rest of his buddies were more or less awake. He hung up his towel and found a polo shirt that would show off his hickie like a badge of honor.

"Lose your girl already?" Damien asked from his desk. He was obviously giving his screenplay one last going over.

"She couldn't stay," Connor grunted, taking down a fresh set of sheets.

"She stayed long enough." Brian's eyes glinted from where he lay on his rumpled bed. He jerked a thumb at the sheet. Connor rolled his eyes but surreptitiously tugged at his collar to show off the love bite more. "You know that gives me an idea for my final poem. Thank you." Brian got up. "The saga of the boy who was found passed out alone, wrong end up on his bed."

"Fuck you, Brian," Connor said good-naturedly, expecting them to notice his predicament, no matter how drunk they were when they stumbled in.

"Any time, blue eyes." Brian blew him a kiss.

"You wish." Connor nearly knocked his autographed picture of Allison Mack off the wall by his bed in his slap-dash efforts to make it. He straightened her out. He was so glad Brian was a Smallville fan, too, so he wasn't alone in wanting it on. Of course, Brian was busy watching Tom Welling, which left the Allison drooling all to Connor. Brian had tried to fake not being gay when they first moved in but couldn't quite pull it off. Luckily, his roommates where open minded enough not to be threatened by it. Damien was in the theater and used to being friends with gay men. Connor had no troubles with that sort of thing. He thought maybe Javier was uncomfortable but Brian was a good guy and they all trusted him not to put moves on them.

"Blue eyes, if I were wishing, you'd be taller, dark haired, manly and have that Welling grin," Brian shot back.

"Lucky for him, he's short, scrawny and kinda girlie looking then," Damien said.

"Bite me," Connor said, looking around to see if he had put his cross somewhere and been too drunk to remember.

Javier flipped the covers back off his head. "Could you three shut the fuck up? I'm trying to sleep off a hangover here."

Connor waved him off. "Anyone see my cross? I can't find it."

"Haven't seen it," Brian said, scribbling frantically on a pad of paper. He always hand wrote before putting things on computer. Connor hoped Brian seriously wasn't mocking him in poem form.

"Isn't that thing welded to your neck, Irish?" Javier asked.

"Usually. Damn, I hope the clasp didn't break. I'd hate to lose it." Connor pulled his shoes out from under the bed. "Anyone up for breakfast?"

Damien shook his head. "Got to turn this in in twenty minutes." He tapped the computer screen.

"I'm still not done with my poems," Brian replied.

"Do I look alive?" Javier pulled the covers over his head again.

"So that's no's all around." Connor grabbed up his skateboard. "Good luck with the creative stuff there, guys."

Connor skate boarded through campus deciding to head for the on-campus Starbucks. That was the thing about having parents who were richer than Croesus, he could drop nearly ten dollars on a double, double cappuccino and a huge hunk of caramel and chocolate brownie without flinching. His parents' money usually meant he got to go on really cool vacations, too. He wished he could have gone on vacation in Canada with his family. He loved snowboarding. Well, they'd probably hit Colorado before classes started again.

His parents hated him snowboarding. His father found all athletics to be a waste of time all the while refusing to see his skiing and golfing as sports in the way he meant it. Connor had always wanted to play some kind of sport but Dad wouldn't let him. Connor managed to get a skateboard in high school since that was transportation and not a sport. It took a while for them to catch on - him putting up a Tony Hawk poster in his room actually - that he had taken skateboarding to extremes. Connor loved skateboarding parks. He's probably head for one today and risk life and limb showing off. He translated that skill on a board to the snow whenever he got the chance.

Connor caught a glimpse of a girl at the foot of the stairs that led from the library to the student union where he was heading. She was totally hot, a trim, tanned body, walnut hair. Unlike his brunette beauty last night, there was nothing fragile about this chick. She all but oozed leather and discipline. Hormones replaced rational thought and Connor hopped his skateboard onto the railing of the steps. Gliding down them, riding tight, he knew she was looking at him because he couldn't stop looking at her. It nearly cost him. He botched the landing and thought he was going to bite it hard but manage to leap off the board as it flipped then landed back on it whirling to a halt like he had meant to do it. He grinned at her then pouted as she rolled her eyes. 'Girl, that was cool.'

"Not too many signs of life around here," she said.

Connor shrugged. "Last day of finals.û Lots of kids have already gone home for the holidays."

She made a face. "It's the wrong time of day to find who I'm looking for anyway but they said she was in the area."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "You a cop?"

"Uh, no, private eye," she said, unconvincingly. "There'll be parties tonight?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah sure. I'm going for coffee and breakfast. Want some?"

"Breakfast? It's two in the afternoon." She pushed her dark hair back. "Sure, why not?"

He tucked his board under his arm and led the way. "I'm Connor, by the way."

"Faith." She smiled. "So, you've got a test today then?"

Connor shook his head. "I'm done. I'm just here for the partying."

Faith laughed. "I hear that."

"So who're you looking for? A runaway kid or something?"

"She's no kid," Faith said. "I'll tell you over coffee."

"Fair enough."

Connor was disappointed that they didn't have any caramel brownies but he got a hunk of cheesecake and seeing Faith eyeing up a slice of pecan pie bought it for her. The coffee shop was nearly empty so they found the best seat in the house, soft cushiony couches in a stream of sunlight.

"Is she a criminal?" he asked.

Faith nodded. "Yeah, she is and thanks for the eats by the way."

"My pleasure." He grinned. "What's she done?"

"Killed someone," Faith said, flatly.

Connor's face went grim. "Shouldn't be the police be looking for her?"

"They are. We were hired by one of her victims' families to help find her," Faith replied then forked in a huge bite of pecan pie.

"You have a business card or something?" Connor asked, sounding suspicious.

Faith dug one out. "Don't trust me?"

"Giving information to strangers can be risky," Connor said, peering at the card. He slipped it into his pocket. "What's she look like?"

"Young, really skinny, dark brown hair, blue eyes, kinda weird." Faith's eyes bore into his.

Connor felt like he was being tested but he didn't care. "That describes half the campus," he said, thinking it sounded like his girl from last night.

"We're still waiting on a fax of her photograph," Faith said. "Which really would help speed things up."

"What's her name?" Connor asked then the strains of 'Kryptonite' by Three Doors Down started singing in his pocket. He shot Faith an embarrassed look. "Sorry." He answered the phone and rolled his eyes. "Oh, hi Mom, no, you didn't wake me. I'm at Starbucks with Faith." He rolled his eyes at the girl in question and covered the phone's mouthpiece. "This won't take long. No Mom, that's not one of my roommates. I wouldn't be that lucky. The dorm's co-ed, not my room. Yes, I know you don't like that idea. No, it didn't effect my grades. Well, no, I just finished my finals yesterday so I don't have my grades yet but I know I'm not failing. Yes, Mom, I know all about studying hard 'cause pre-med's hard....yeah, I know that, too. Look Mom, I have to go. You and Dad go have fun. Slap my sisters for me. Yeah Mom, see you then."

"Your parents aren't waiting for you in the parking lot now that classes are done?" Faith grinned at him.

"They're in Canada on a ski trip. I couldn't make it." Connor sighed. "But she makes sure to call me and tell me how much fun I'm missing every day."

"Pre-med?" Faith looked him over. "You don't look pre-med, then again you don't look old enough to be out of junior high."

He scowled, rubbing a hand over his slightly stubbly chin. "I'm almost nineteen. And my parents think I'm pre-med. I want to be a conservationist but Dad says majoring in ecology is majoring in poverty," Connor said then his phone rang again. He gave it the evil eye but answered it any how. "Javier? What do you want, man? I'm busy." Connor gave Faith a look that told anyone in a hundred yard radius the kind of busy he wanted to be with her. "You did what? Man, Damien is gonna kill you. Why would you play with that? Yeah, I know how to fix it but that's not the point...okay, okay, I'll be right there." Connor got up. "Sorry about this. If I don't go fix this, one roommate will kill the other and I can't have that on my conscience. Tell you what, go to the Belly Up To bar tonight. That's where the action will be. If your fugitive is here, that's the place to look since you were asking about parties. I'm assuming she's a party girl."

"Thanks."

Connor smiled and added, "Hope to see you there."

"You just might."

Happy with that, a little something to look forward to since he hadn't bothered to get Dru's number last night, Connor skate boarded back for his dorm. Only when he was half way across campus did he remember that he hadn't gotten the killer's name.

---

Dru knew she didn't have much time. The poinsettias she had put around her bed told her one of the naughty Slayers was looking for her. Not the awful one who had stolen her boys, no,û it was the one she had made with her own hands.

Dru knew she had to work quickly. It wouldn't take much to snare Little Brother. He suffered the affliction of all boys his age; obeying too many masters and the littlest master shouted the loudest. Her flowers had told he that Little Brother would be here displaying himself in the mating rituals popular among younger prey.

When she finally saw him in the crowd, she realized she had been wrong. He was sitting with his friends watching the girls dance instead of tossing themselves about to the beat with them. He seemed to be looking for someone in particular with the way his eyes kept constant watch. Drusilla smiled soft like rain. Little Brother had missed her and was hoping to see her called in from the shadows. She headed for him, slipping through the crowd with practiced ease.

Little Brother looked shocked, seeing her before him. The open mouthed, wide-eyed look stripped years away from him. No, he was too young, too small to be on his own. Dru would have to ask the moon if she could adopt him.

"Uh, hi Dru," he stammered out.

She ran her fingers along his cheek, beckoning him to follow her with the other hand. There was no time to play here as much as she might like to. Dru so loved to dance. She could all but feel the Slayer approaching. Dru's will stabbed into his mind and wrapped around it like a garden spider's web. He had a very busy mind, surprising her. There was a hint of magic. She left him just a little of his own will so he wouldn't seem odd to his friends.

"Hey, she didn't run screaming after you took her home. Look like I lost that bet." One of his friends's snorted.

"If that detective chick shows, we'll keep her warm for you," another youth said, and Dru pouted, wondering if Little Brother had been hoping for another flower to dip his nose into.

"She doesn't exist. What would a tough detective chick want with scrawny boy?" Little Brother's playwright friend lobbed that like a grenade.

Dru watched with vague amusement as Little Brother gave his friends the finger. "She wouldn't have had breakfast with me unless she liked what she saw."

"Keep telling yourself that. She was probably getting info to turn you into the cops," his dark-haired friend said.

"Lucky us, we finished our stash before coming here just in case Irish get caught up in a raid," the other one added, sloshing his beer as the playwright elbowed him with a 'shush.'

"We're getting Connor in trouble with his girl," the playwright observed.

"Let's go somewhere, Dru," Little Brother said. "Where the company is better."

Dru smiled. She hadn't even tweaked his mind to make him say that. She could get drunk off the arousal of all the boys. She could pretend it was all for her. Both Daddy and Grandmummy had taught her arrogance and greed. She wondered again about the lady detective, wondering what she might want with Little Brother. Dru took Little Brother's hand and pulled him through the bar to the cool outdoors. Dru paused, testing the air. The Slayer was probably close.

"What would you like to do, Dru?" he asked. "Go back in and dance a little? Those guys were just kidding you. The detective wanted to talk to me about some woman who's supposed to be in the area, nothing more. We could go somewhere quieter if you want. It's still a little chilly to go to the beach, which is a shame."

"Home," Dru said simply, watching his nostrils flare. She could practically let him out from under her thrall. All his blood was already going where it did him the least amount of good for thinking. Still, that was fine by her.

"Uh, sure. Those guys won't be coming home any time soon."

Dru let him lead even though she knew the way. She was surprised at his leisurely pace. He was trying to make it a romantic stroll under the stars but Dru knew he was desperate to get back to his room and out of his clothing.

She urged him to go a little faster. She wanted his blood. The room smelled more strongly this time of that magical herb. Her Spike had liked it so back in the days when flowers ruled, had liked feeding off those who smoked it. Dru had liked it, too. Little Brother would taste extra special tonight. She knew he was well under its influence but his mouth only tasted a little like alcohol when she kissed him gently.

It took all her strength not to toss him down and drink. She had to admit it was nice to be kissed like this. It had been a long time since she had last been kissed when she had tried to woo back Spike. Before that it was the chaos demon who tasted like mucus. Little Brother tasted like beer and sweet herbs.

Curious, she took his shirt off, her fingers trailing over his body. Pale and lean, he resembled her Spike more than he did their daddy. She could see his pulse throbbing in his neck, thumping on the insides of his biceps. Her mouth watered at the thought of tasting him again. Other parts of her were cool and slick as ice.

She let him explore her body as she played with the golden-brown fluff leading from his naval down to parts of him that were demanding attention. His pants slid off easily with no hips to slow their progress.

"You're cold," he said, his lips leaving her chest. "Want me to turn the heat up?"

She pushed him back on the bed, straddling him. She tapped his forehead and his big blue eyes lost focus. "Enjoy, Little Brother," she said then picked the vein that pleased her the most.

Dru finished rearranging her clothes and capped off the tears' jar - just another little taste for Spike and maybe one for Daddy. As she got up to go, two of his friends came home, the playwright and one of the ones she didn't know.

"Oops sorry," the one she didn't know said, stumbling for his bed.

"Irish forgot to put the signal on the door," the playwright added, jabbing a finger at the nude body of his friend. "Looks like he wasn't good for much before passing out. Loser."

Dru wiped a finger along the oozing vein she had opened then licked her digit. "Good enough." She lay back against Little Brother and waited for the other boys to settle down.

She needed to adopt Little Brother but that wouldn't happen with his friends in the way, not unless they were all family. They went to sleep quickly, not even making a fuss as she drained their lives.

Their remaining friend came home as she was finishing the others. "Guys, he was so not my type after all," he moaned then froze seeing Dru sitting with the playwright. "Oh, it's going to be this type of party. This is just not my night."

"You'll like this party," Dru promised and was on him before he could move.

Chapter Three

Faith paused outside the door to Angel's suite. She heard Angel shouting 'I told you no tree' and thought she heard a gurgling noise. She figured that was Spike. She opened the door to see Angel standing on Spike's back, one hand behind him with a death grip on lit Christmas lights that were wrapped around Spike's neck and in the other was a sizable cut spruce that Angel appeared to be trying to maneuver into planting position. She whipped out her phone and snapped a picture.

Angel stopped trying to impale Spike and the smaller vampire quit wiggling. They both looked at her, horrified. Faith hit speed dial. "Hey, B, sending you a picture. Get Will to download or magic it or whatever. It can be your Christmas card photo." Faith tapped a button then waited a moment for Buffy's response. "Nope, they ain't posing. I think Angel's trying to use Spike's ass a tree stand. Why? How should I know? Ask him yourself."

Faith winged Angel the phone. He dropped the tree to catch it. Spike managed to wiggle free. "Hello Buffy," he said, trying to manifest some dignity. "Because he deserves it. I know Faith sent you pictures of what he did to my office-no, it's not cute. It's ridiculous-he's trying to drive me insane-I have no idea why. Ask him."

Angel lateraled the phone to Spike who was still stripping the lights off his neck. "'Allo Buffy-.because it's bloody good fun, that's why. You should see him get all pissy," Spike said before Faith plucked the phone from his hand.

"Me again, B. See what I have to put up with?-yeah, I know you've been putting up with them longer than me but the only time you had to deal with them as a pair they were the enemy. I don't have the luxury of killing them. I have no idea why Darla and Dru didn't just dust them both and go on a lesbian spree free of the peacock twins."

"Dru liked pole dancing too much," Spike offered with a smarmy grin.

"Darla, too," Angel said then got his embarrassed expression again.

"Hear that, B? They're such men-yeah, I know I like that but you missed hearing the vampire Christmas carols. Hey, I was calling to see if the seer had gotten anything more. Yeah, I figured you'd call if she did but I also wanted to know what Giles thought about the reliability of Tixe demons. Wes thought the information I got from one might be a little dodgy, his words not mine. Our resident vamps can't agree one way or the other on the matter. I thought she seemed too scared of me to lie about Drusilla being seen around the college. Besides, why would a Tixe demon care if I'm out to dust a vampire-demon solidarity?" Faith repeated Buffy's answer quizzically and Angel and Spike shrugged. "It had best not be lying. I had to deal with ravaging hordes of teenaged boys doing the hormone dance-not that it wasn't nice. One of them bought me pie-yeah, I guess he was cute in a short, pale scrawny way."

"Don't knock it," Spike said.

"Spike's sensitive about that sort of stuff being all short and scrawny." Angel patted Spike on the head and the blond punched him.

"Who knows, B-.maybe I'll go look him up once business is over and check out how his gears shift."

"Faith," Angel said, sharply.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, just ask about the Tixe demon when Giles gets in. I've gotta quiz these two about what they found out last night provided Angel is done trying to poke Spike."

"Rephrase that," Angel demanded.

Faith did another eye roll. "What? Damn, no I'll hold." Faith glanced over at Angel. "Incoming seer-o-gram." Angel and Spike both went alert. Faith nodded as she listened. "Got it. I'll tell him. Take care, B."

Faith set her phone on the coffee table and picked up the tree. "Where's the stand?"

Spike fetched it and put it by the living room windows.

"No tree, Faith!" Angel made a half-hearted grab for it. "What did the seer say?"

"Tell me, Scrooge." Faith put the tree in the stand and Spike started anchoring it. "How many sons do you have?" Faith was shocked as Angel's jaw dropped and he took a few steps back nearly tripping over the couch.

He sat on the arm, seeming to have gone paler. "Why?"

"There's that prancing pratt Penn," Spike offered, stepping back to get perspective on the tree's position in front of the living room windows.

"Penn's dust," Angel said, flatly.

"Aww pity," Spike said, dragging over a box of ornaments all glass in deep blue and silver or red and gold.

"But you have more sons, right, Angel?" Faith asked, helping Spike.

He nodded, his eyes profoundly sad. "A few."

"What I can't figure is why I should care that one of your little vamp children is in trouble or why it could be bad for you," Faith said. "Because that's what the seer saw, trouble for blood, trouble for a son and bad stuff for you as a result."

Angel got up and gave in. He started decorating the tree. "I don't know, Faith. Maybe she's got it wrong. Maybe she got it confused and the son was joining with Dru to cause trouble for me," Angel said.

Faith looked at him unconvinced. "Maybe. As far as I'm concerned that seeing the future is a bunch of shit anyhow."

"Agreed," Angel said. "Did you learn anything on campus?"

"Not really. Didn't see Dru at the bar I was told about or should I say bars since I hit so many, not on campus, nothing. Did she come back here?"

"Not so you could tell," Spike said. "And I didn't learn anything. I think Peaches should sing for Lorne."

"Not that desperate yet." Angel turned to Faith. "See if you can find a boy named Connor McGillycuddy. A source told me he's on campus and he might draw Dru's attention."

"Why?" Faith asked. "Is he special in some way, something Dru could use as a weapon?"

"I don't know," Angel said, not looking at her.

Faith didn't know why but she thought he was lying to her. "The kid who bought me pie was named Connor but on a campus that big there's got to be a couple Connors." Faith bounced up from where she had been putting lights around the bottom branches. "Too quiet in here." She turned on the TV flipping through the channels. "Which one is VH1?"

"Like I'd know," Angel shot back.

Faith paused on a newscast. "Shit, look at this!"

Angel and Spike turned their attention to the TV and the woman saying, in too cheery a voice for the details, 'three boys were found murdered in their dorm room this morning by their roommate.'

---

Connor woke up feeling light-headed and cold. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, realizing he was naked on top of his bed, 'how embarrassing.' He glanced around but his buddies all seemed to be asleep but the room smelled awful. That wasn't too uncommon after a hard nights' partying.¾ Connor stood, his body twinging as he did. He looked down, his eyes widening. He had a giant bruise on the inside of his thigh that reached all the way up to his groin. "Man, what did she do to me?"

Connor felt uneasy about last night. He couldn't remember anything past bringing Dru home. He knew he hadn't had much to drink last night and that had been on purpose. He didn't want to be sloppy drunk in case Faith showed up.¾ There was no reason he shouldn't be able to remember. He pulled on boxers and went to take a leak.

When he came back to his room, Connor paused surveying his friends. Something was wrong. No snoring for one, no sounds at all. Feeling chilled, like all his hair was standing on end, Connor had no idea why he should be so creeped out but he was. All three of his friends were in bed, covered and looked innocently asleep but all his senses were screaming something was wrong.

Connor stopped at Brian's bed first, seeing something brownish-red on his friend's pale lips. Brian didn't kiss girls so it was unlikely to be lipstick. Connor shook Brian's shoulder and his head flopped around. Connor jerked back. Brian felt dead cold and in his neck were two holes.

"Oh god!" Connor's legs shook as he went to Damien and touched his neck. Damien was just as cold with holes in his neck as well. Connor found himself on the floor, his legs unable to hold them. He rolled onto his stomach and vomited. He crawled backwards unable to take his eyes off his friends. He didn't find his voice until he had backed into the hall and the screaming started.

The dorm's RA called the police. Somehow Connor managed to disconnect from his emotions and mechanically called his parents. He couldn't reach them so he did what his dad always told him to do if he were ever in trouble, call his dad's firm and ask for his dad's lawyer. Mr. Gunn had gotten to the school just a little bit after the cops and before they could start questioning him.

Connor sat shaking in a room down the hall, dressed in the first things he could grab from his closet, with one of his other friends when Mr. Gunn arrived. Connor had his arms wrapped around his skateboard. He didn't remember going back into his room for shoes, clothes and his board but he obviously had. Connor couldn't help thinking the man looked too young to be a lawyer and his suit a little too cheap but he knew Wolfram and Hart had an excellent reputation. His dad always said so. Before the lawyer could talk to him, a tall stern looking woman with her red hair pulled into a tail came into the room.

"Mr. McGillycuddy, I'm Detective Ansen, I'd like to talk to you about what happened here," she said, pulling a note pad out of her pocket.

"I'm Mr. Charles Gunn, Mr. McGillycuddy's lawyer. My client has nothing to say at this time," Gunn said and Connor looked at him not shocked by it but at the same time he was. It made him sound so guilty.

The look in Ansen's green eyes said she felt the same way. "Surely there's no harm in a few questions unless there's something your client has something to hide."

"It's my fault they're dead," Connor blurted out.

Gunn whirled on him, his eyes hot. "Don't speak to her."

"I don't mean that I killed them." Connor dropped his skateboard and wrapped his arms around himself.¾ "Look, they were my best friends and I want to help find who did this to them. I know I can help because I think I know who did it."

"I advise you against saying anything," Gunn said, sternly.

"If the boy wants to help, let him," Ansen said, eagerly.

"My client and I should confer before he says another word," Gunn said, putting a hand on Connor's shoulder. He squeezed hard.

"I brought the killer home," Connor said and Gunn's shoulders slumped.

"Look, if you're not going to listen to council, why did you ask for me?" Gunn asked, his voice low and dangerous as his fingers dug in harder.

Connor glanced up at him. "Because I know I'm a suspect. I'm the one who lived so I have to be the main suspect. And I know I should shut up and listen to you but I know I didn't do anything but not get killed."

"The RA said you were seen coming back with a dark-haired woman and she was observed leaving much later by a security guard," Ansen said.

Connor nodded. "Her name is Drusilla. I don't know her last name.¾ I met her the night before last. We danced a little, that's all you know. Nothing major. She turned up at the Belly Up To bar last night again."

"A little young to be in bars, aren't you?" Ansen asked, a predatory glint in her eyes.

Connor shrugged. "Yeah, well, whatever. We came back to my room and then I think I passed out. I did the night before, too. I woke up thinking she must have slipped me something because I can't even remember what happened after I left the bar. I didn't hear my friends return. I didn't hear her kill them. I don't know why she didn't kill me. I mean, she had the time. We were alone and all."

"I think that's enough, Mr. McGillycuddy. You have his statement, Detective Ansen. I'll be taking my client home now," Gunn interrupted.

"Just a few more details." Ansen held up her hand to ward off Gunn's protest. "As to where to contact Mr. McGillycuddy if we need to."

Gunn fished out a card, handing it to her. "You contact me."

"Do you know how she killed them?" Connor asked. "I saw the holes in their necks but no blood-like she stuck needles in them like for when you give blood."

"I can't talk about details," Ansen said. "So, your story is you brought a strange girl home and were too drunk-"

"He never said he was drinking. He said she might have put something in his drink," Gunn corrected.

Ansen nodded. "Fine. You were unconscious while she murdered your friends for reasons unknown and you woke up to find them dead."

"That's his statement, which is inadmissible in court since he was never read his rights," Gunn said.

"Spontaneous admission," Ansen countered.

"See if you can make that fly if it comes down to it," Gunn replied.

"I'm not sure the reasons are unknown," Connor said. "There was a private detective on campus yesterday. She said she was looking for a female killer because a victim's family didn't like how the cops were handling it. You have to know about this."

Ansen's face didn't reveal if she did or not. "What was the detective's name?"

Connor suddenly thought better of giving Faith up. He didn't like being grilled and didn't want to subject anyone else to it. Let the detective find out about the killer herself. He knew there had to be records, after all. He shrugged. "I don't remember her name. The agency had something to do with angel's."

"And that's enough for today. My client is traumatized," Gunn said, dragging Connor up and propelling him toward the door. "He's a young man who just found three of his friends slaughtered. He's going home now."

"We'd like Mr. McGillycuddy to stay in L.A.," Ansen said.

"My parents don't live here-.and I can't stay in the dorm." Connor glanced up the hall where people with CSU on their uniforms were working in his room.

"That's been taken care of. He'll be put up at one of the firm's hotels," Gunn said. "Any further questions, Detective Ansen, can be filtered through me."

"I don't have any clothes," Connor said, still looking at his room.

Gunn turned him and moved him down the hall. "We'll handle that. Your father has an account with the firm. You can use that to buy some new clothes."

"Mr. McGillycuddy, we found some glass pipes and bong with one of you roommate's belongings," Ansen said in a tone that suggested she thought the whole thing might be drug related.

Connor looked over his shoulder and said, "I don't know anything about that."

He let Gunn lead him out of the building and into a waiting limo. They both got in the back. Once they were on their way, Gunn said, harshly, "Next time, you listen to me and you do exactly what I say. I'm making allowances for you being in shock but if you're not going to let me help you, then I'm not going to represent you, understood?"

Connor nodded. "Sorry-where am I going?"

"To the Hyperion Hotel. Wolfram and Hart is renovating it for use for our clients. It's mostly empty because the upper floors are being worked on. It's a little noisy but its good enough to put you up for a few nights until you can reach your parents."

"But the cops don't want me to leave town."

"And they can't stop you unless they arrest you and I don't think they're ready to just yet," Gunn said.

Connor slumped against the seat of the car, tears trickling down his face. He made no effort to stop or hide them.

"What really happened with your friends?" Gunn's voice was far more compassionate now than Connor had ever heard it.

"I wasn't lying to the cop. That's exactly what happened."

"And this detective, was she with Angel investigation's?" Gunn asked, deeply curious.

Connor wiped his face. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"They're a subsidiary of Wolfram and Hart. What was her name?"

"Faith. I didn't get a last name. There isn't one on the card she gave me either. If she works for you guys, maybe you know who killed my friends." Connor shot Gunn a suspicious look.

The lawyer shrugged. "I don't but I'll do what I can to find out what Faith knows. Where do you want to stop to buy clothes?"

"Don't care." Connor curled up on the seat and wept, not caring he had an audience.

He let Gunn decide on the store, grabbed some t-shirts and jeans then went back to the car without a fuss. He was surprised when they stopped at an old hotel. Maybe the name Hyperion should have clued him in that it was a¾ historical place. Inside, the lobby was haunting familiar but he couldn't fathom why. The place gave him the chills. Gunn went to the receptionist and said, "I need the key to Mr. McGillycuddy's room."

"Here you go, sir, room 209," she said, cheerfully.

Gunn led the way but Connor didn't need him to. He had been here before. He didn't know why he felt it but he did. Dþjš vu made his skin crawl. Gunn turned over the key once he opened the door and let Connor and his bags of clothes and skateboard inside. "Here you go. If you need anything, call me on my cellular." Gunn handed Connor a card.

"Yes, sir."

Gunn pointed at him. "And whatever you do, don't speak to the police."

"Yes, sir."

Connor threw himself onto the bed and waited for Gunn to go. He was shivering as he drifted off, thoroughly exhausted. He didn't nap long before he woke, choking down a scream. He didn't dream about his friend surprisingly enough. The hotel itself played in his nightmare, like something out of a slasher flick. He couldn't possibly spend the night.

Connor got his phone. It was something else he had rescued from his room. Funny how the mind works. He grabbed his most important stuff, his board, his phone his wallet and a full set of clothes. He dialed a friend from the Society of Conservation Biology at school. He had her key so he could feed her cat while she was on vacation since he was staying on a week longer than she was. He'd take Beggar to the pet hotel when he left and save Tamar some money.

"Tamar, it's Connor. You saw it on TV? Guess it's national news. Hon, can I stay at your place for a few nights? I can't get hold of my parents and the police want me to stay in town. I'm in a hotel but I'm going nuts here. Thanks, Tamar, I can't tell you what this means to me-yeah okay I'll be testing Beggar's ability to make someone feel better. I-I don't know anything about the funeral arrangements or anything. I can't call their families. Everyone probably thinks I did it. Thanks, it's good to hear someone doesn't think I'm a killer. I'll let you know if I learn anything."

Connor headed for his friend's apartment. Once there, with Beggar the fat black cat on his lap, he took out Faith's card and placed a call.

---

Exhausted from her work at Little Brother's home, Dru slept the sleep of the dead, dreaming of the fun she'd have when everyone was a family again.

Chapter Four

Faith hunted down Spike before he headed off for the night to do whatever it was he did. She was afraid to think hard on that. She knew where Angel was. He'd probably be a little ticked that she left Connor alone. The boy had called her and asked to meet her. She had gone even before she realized he really was the one Angel wanted her to keep an eye on. Angel's information had obviously been accurate. Someone had been out to hurt the boy. She went to his new apartment without telling anyone, risky maybe but hell, she was a Slayer. She didn't have to fear going into a strange kid's place alone.

Angel had called in the middle of Connor telling her how he thought his friends had been killed by the woman she was looking for. By a twist of fate, Connor's father was connected peripherally to Wolfram and Hart and Gunn was the kid's new lawyer. Gunn was also freaking because the kid had skated out of the hotel where he had left him. She told Angel she was with Connor and he made her promise to look out for him all night while he and Spike hunted for Dru.

Faith had resigned herself to spending the night outside in the cold making sure Dru didn't track the kid to the new place but it hadn't been necessary. Connor had been so freaked, he didn't want to be left alone. After he had identified Dru from a bad copy of just Dru's face ® Angel had cut away the rest of the ambrotype he had called it so she wouldn't have to explain the old time clothes ® Connor asked what she knew about Dru. She couldn't tell him much but she ended up calling Angel back to tell him Gunn's suspicions were good ones. It sounded like all three boys had been drained by a vampire so Angel headed for the morgue to see if the boys were staying dead.

She hadn't told him that Connor bore marks of a vampiric feeding. He was freaking out enough about the kid and she couldn't figure it out. Angel wasn't normally so spazzy about things but he was so overprotective of the kid it made Faith wonder. She had even placed a call to Buffy while Connor, finally getting a hint of an appetite, was busy ordering out. Buffy thought it might have to do with the fact Dru was Angel's childe and he felt responsible for the things she did.

Either way, it was unlike Angel and Faith didn't want to worry him more. She knew she'd have to tell him about the bite marks but she wanted to wait until she could be in a room with him and see his reactions to the news. Faith quizzed Connor about how long he had known Dru but it didn't track. He insisted it was only two days but the marks on his neck seemed older, more healed than that. He admitted to having another big love mark but wasn't willing to drop his pants and show her.

She had only planned on staying until they were done with their Chinese food before going outside to stake out the apartment. Connor wouldn't let her. His parents were trapped in Canada thanks to a snowstorm and he was afraid to be alone. They had chosen some totally remote assed place to go on vacation and all roads were closed maybe for as long as two or three days.

So she had stayed and they had talked, mostly about stuff other than the murders so he could relax a little. He was a funny kid, downright quirky even, to use her original Watcher's favorite term for her. She liked him. She could understand how scared he must be, knowing the cops thought he might be involved or how the cops might just write it off as a drug deal gone bad or something because they found a couple of bongs.

She had spent the night on the loveseat and he on the couch. Come morning, he didn't want her to leave and a call to Angel had pretty much the same reaction. Angel was afraid Dru would send minions in the day, thinking Angel might be less vigilant. Faith didn't ask how Dru would know Angel had a clue Connor existed. He'd probably tell her as a seer she'd know. So, she gave in and after a while it was clear both she and Connor were ill-suited to just sitting around an apartment.

She had suggested he do something to take his mind off of it. He thought it was disrespectful but eventually he agreed and she watched him vent on his skateboard. She half expected him to fall and bust open his head since he had no helmet but he was good. She understood now what poetry in motion was. She wondered what he'd do in a really good setting, like a skateboard park instead of the deserted crappy areas around the Hyperion where she had steered him, hoping he'd just go back there so Angel and Gunn would stop having a cow. The boy wasn't having any of that. She didn't understand what freaked him out about the hotel. She couldn't figure out why Angel and company had abandoned it. It was better than living in the cold, heartless building that was Wolfram and Hart. Who wanted to live where they worked?

Finally, he insisted on going back to the apartment and another call from Angel said it was okay for her to leave him there. Wolfram and Hart had issued a security detail that the kid didn't need to know about. Since it was dark, and she had slept like crap on that loveseat, Faith didn't argue. She was surprised that Angel wasn't heading out to guard the kid himself or hunt for Dru but he insisted Connor's guard would be enough and that he was doing some research.

Then Faith saw the TV Guide and realized what Angel was up to. She didn't blame him. Everyone needed to blow off steam or they'd lose it. But she couldn't pass on a chance to have a little fun with him, which was why she was hunting up Spike. She found him in his room, suiting up for the night, in other words making sure he had enough cigarettes in his leather jacket.

"We need to go to Angel's suite before you leave," she said, stifling a yawn.

His eyebrows lifted. "You look beat."

"I am." She stretched, trying to loosen her back muscles. "Come on."

"Why?" Spike rolled his eyes.

"Because Angel's doing something he doesn't want us to see." Faith grinned.

Spike made a face. "I don't want to see that, luv."

Faith realized what she had said and punched Spike in the arm. "Not that. God, is sex all you think about?"

He grinned broadly, the tip of his pink tongue sticking out between his lips. "I'm a guy."

"Good point. Trust me on this, okay?" Faith said, heading for the elevator.

Spike looked at her ass. "I'll follow you anywhere."

Faith decided to leave that alone. They rode up to Angel's suite. She paused in front of the door. "It's probably locked."

As expected, Spike produced a key from his jacket and unlocked it. The TV was on rather loud for Angel. Faith could see his feet propped up on the arm of the couch and realized he must be stretched out, relaxed and she was suddenly struck by the fact she had never seen him that way before.

"Oh you've got to be bloody kidding me!" Spike cried, seeing Barry Manilow on the screen.

Angel's head popped up over the back of the couch, a horrified expression on his face. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just seeing if I was right and I am. I knew you couldn't pass up 'Barry Manilow live by request'." Faith grinned triumphantly.

"Faith, you swore you'd never use the information you learned on our Orpheus trip," Angel reminded her, vexed.

She patted his head. "I lied."

"Live by request." Spike jogged around the couch. "Tell me you don't have a phone."

Angel snatched the phone off the table, cradling it protectively. It was then that Faith saw he was holding a photo. When he saw her looking at it, he shoved it in one of the fat tomes he had on the table but not before she saw it was of Cordy holding a baby. She was afraid to know what that meant or why he'd be all moon-eyed over it while listening to Barry.

"You do have a phone," Spike crowed. "Every bloody vampire in the world is going to be embarrassed when they hear this."

"If I pull your tongue out now, they won't have to hear about this," Angel growled, putting his foot on the floor, ready to get up and pummel him.

"No, I can't even tell anyone this," Spike declared. "It'll reflect on me as your grandson."

" I like Barry so shut up so I can listen," Angel ordered, wearing the expression of a tantrumy two-year old.

"He's even been to concerts," Faith said, flopping down on the couch with Angel.

He glared. "Faith."

She just grinned and put a pillow on her lap. She yanked Angel's feet up onto it so he was back in his relaxed position.

Spike moaned. "It just gets worse. I'm going. I think I might know where Dru might go, or at least her usual sorts of places. Faith, if he starts dialing, you make the request for him or I'll have to live with the shame."

"Couldn't have that on my conscience," Faith said.

"Just go, Spike." Angel stabbed a finger at the door.

Spike shrugged and headed out. Faith waited for commercial then asked, "Vampires can feed without killing, right? Like the ones sucking the druggies Wes and I found?"

Angel nodded. "We can live without the kill but most find it less fun. Why?"

"I think Dru's been snacking on Connor."

Angel bolted upright. "What? Why?"

"He has a mark on his neck. He said it was a sucker bite but it looks like it might have had fang marks in it. It was mostly healed which doesn't jive with it being only two days old. He said he had another one but wouldn't show me. I guess it was on his thigh. You guys can feed there?"

"Anywhere there's a good vein. Down there can beÄ" Angel trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"I get the picture." Faith shuddered. "Does it mean anything that Dru's bitten him? Does that make him hers?"

Angel shook his head. "It doesn't work like that." He wrinkled his nose. "Except maybe for Dracula, the show off. But it can be a symbol in the vampire community, back off he's mine. How does Connor seem? Weak?"

"Not that I could see. He said he thought she was drugging him because he couldn't remember anything and he knew he wasn't that drunk or high."

Angel's expression fell into one of deep hurt and disappointment. "Drunk? High?"

Faith shrugged. "He's a college kid blowing off steam after finals. He had a few beers and smoked a bowl. He's smart but he likes to have fun. You said Dru can take your will and make you do stuff. To someone who didn't know vampires were real, that might seem like date rape drugs. I mean, they're all over colleges so that's a logical jump. I told him not to invite anyone inside his place that he didn't know. Maybe I should have said no one at all besides me. What if his friends rise?"

"We checked the morgue. They're still there but it's hard to sneak in and it's difficult to tell if one of them will rise. Some only take a few hours to wake up and the rest of us can be buried before we revive. Spike and I both had to claw our ways out of our graves," Angel said. "We'll keep an eye on them. Dru does make children, especially if she needs them to help her. You said he likes you."

"He does. I like him. He's sweet." Her chocolatey eyes took on a wicked light. "He's young but he's legal."

"Faith!"

"Don't sweat it, Angel. His last lover ate his friends. I doubt he's in the mood for anything right now." She snuggled into the couch. "But yeah, he likes me."

"See if you can convince him to come here and stay or at least go to the Hyperion. It'll be easier to protect him."

"I'll try but Dru seems to be able to waltz into here and I don't see Connor moving. He's stubborn." Faith paused for a moment, going serious. She knew this would be difficult but she needed to know. "Why are you so concerned about this kid? I mean, now I can see why since it's obvious Dru's after him but you were worried before that."

Angel looked away, bumping the sound up on Barry. "Dru's my responsibility. I need to protect people from her."

'Figures B was right.' Faith thumped his calf. "Okay. So, want to tell me about Cordy and that baby?"

"Just someone's kid we helped save once. I found it inside that book. We must have been using it as a bookmark," he lied rather badly but another bump up on the sound told Faith to let it go.

She sat back, listened to Barry singing Christmas songs and wondered if she shouldn't just go back to the apartment and protect the kid in person. As soon as Barry was over, Angel left the building, pretending he wasn't going to Connor's apartment. Faith knew better. He would have gone before Barry was off if he hadn't thought it would raise her suspicions. He never would have even taken two hours off to enjoy himself if she had told him about the bite marks earlier in the day. She wished he trusted her but didn't feel she knew the others well enough to question them about Angel's odd behavior. Instead she let her exhaustion rule and she headed off to bed, planning on asking Buffy once it was a more reasonable hour.

---

Connor glanced out the window of Tamar's living room, stroking Beggar's fur. He thought he heard sounds inside the apartment almost every few seconds. He knew he was being a wuss but he wanted desperately to call Faith again, to have her spend the night, but he didn't. He liked her. He didn't want her to think he was a coward. He wished his parents were home. He needed them. Frightened, Connor sat back on the couch, phone in one hand just in case he needed 911 or weakened and called Faith, and the remote in the other. He planned on watching TV until he couldn't fight sleep any more.

---

Dru saw Angel leaving his home. He wasn't close enough to catch her scent and Dru counted that as lucky. This was going to be a quick trip. Dru had planned on making this delivery the night before but she had been too tired and bloated from taking care of Little Brother's friends.

Dru slipped into the building, completely unchallenged once more, a plan forming in her mind. She had hoped for her darling Spike to be home so she could play with him but he wasn't. Still, with her new plan in mind that suited her just as well. Dru gently placed Miss Edith on Spike's pillow, kissed her forehead and told he to be a good little girl then headed back outside.

Angel's scent still lingered on the night breeze. He hadn't gone in a car. Dru knew her Daddy. When he was angry or worried, he had extra energy to burn. He preferred to walk or run to fritter it away. It sharpened him, made him deadlier. She also knew who he was going to meet and she followed him.

Little Brother no longer stayed in the room he shared with his friends, the door all covered with ugly yellow tape screaming their warnings to stay away. Dru, however, knew Daddy would know where to find him. She felt that deep in her unmoving heart. It would be an easy thing to follow him to Little Brother's new home. Dru set herself to the task, relishing the hunt.

Chapter Five

Connor woke up after a fitful night's sleep. As silly as it was, he wished he had asked Faith to spend another night. He knew he had no right to do so. He barely knew her and she had a job to do and that wasn't babysitting him. Still, he had felt better when she was with him, safer somehow.

The worst part of it was he found himself thinking about her constantly. He never had Tracy on his mind this much, even when they first started going out. He kept telling himself it was just the crazy situation he was in. His parents weren't coming back. Dad had called to say his sister had had a bad skiing accident. Connor was horrified to hear it. She'd be okay eventually but she had broken both an arm and a leg and was in the hospital. Dad offered to fly down to be with him, even though Wolfram and Hart assured his dad that things were well in hand.

Connor knew his mom would be a basketcase. She was the worrying type. As much as he wanted his mom to put her arms around him and tell him everything would be okay, he knew she'd never leave his sister behind, even if the weather cleared enough for travel. He knew his sisters and his mom would need Dad there so he told his father that he was all right. He had a place to stay and Mr. Gunn was handling the police. The fact he wasn't already in jail gave Connor some hope. Faith's presence had helped in that respect, too.

The fact that she was there when he needed her the most, that's why she was in his thoughts so much. His life was a wreck. It was natural that he'd cling to the first friendly face he saw. That didn't explain the way he turned into a babbling idiot around her or how he couldn't suppress the urge to show off and impress her as if convinced physical displays of prowess were what she wanted.

It didn't explain why he could recall every detail about her to mind without trying. Faith wasn't gorgeous and he wasn't sure if he really loved her husky voice or if it merely made him nervous. He liked the way her hair glistened and how her dark eyes could mete out discipline with a glance. She was older and crass. His parents would hate her, forbid him to see a girl like that. He knew she was the girl who liked a guy for his fast car or in his case, his Norton motorcycle. He didn't care. She turned him on and he hated it. Him thinking with his dick was what got his friends murdered. He shouldn't be thinking about sex at all.

But he was. He wanted to know what Faith's hard body would feel like pressed up against his. He only known her a day and at any other time, he'd excuse it as being a normal teenaged boy. He shouldn't be thinking about screwing, not with his friends not even cold in the ground yet. Connor couldn't help himself..

Connor headed outside. He needed to find something to take his mind off of it. He hailed a cab and headed back for his college. He needed to get his bike anyhow. Maybe a long ride would clear his head.

---

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Faith asked, leaning in Angel's office doorway. "It's almost dawn."

Angel looked up at her from where he sat at his desk. "It's early for you to be up."

"Kinda screwed my internal clock by going to bed so early last night." Faith shrugged. "So, did anyone bug the kid's place last night?"

"I didn't go-" He saw her frown. "How did you know that's where I went?"

"Guessed." Faith surveyed the riot of holiday cheer trying to find a place to sit then gave up. "I guess I should ask why you didn't want me to know but Buffy says you have this need to protect your friends, to shield them even when you know damn well we don't need it. I'm trusting her to know you pretty well. I suppose given that mind fuck Orpheus gave us, I know you better than even she does so it sounds reasonable to me."

Angel slumped in his chair. "I trust you, Faith. You don't have to worry about that. There are just some things I have to do myself then I always find myself in a situation where everyone's mad because they think I don't trust them with whatever it is."

"I'm not mad." Faith stretched until her shoulders popped. "I just want you to know you can always ask me for help, no matter what it is."

Angel smiled faintly. "Thanks, Faith. And it was quiet there last night."

"That's good to know," Spike said, sauntering in. "Because it wasn't here."

"I thought you were out all night," Angel said.

Faith turned, saw what Spike had dangling from his hand and asked, "Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?"

"What?" Angel stood up to get a better look then went sober.

"I found her on my pillow," Spike said.

"Was anything else touched?" Angel came out from behind the desk.

"I don't know. I only gave it a quick once over then came to show you this." Spike headed out into the hallway, going for his room.

"What's so special about a doll that's got you two in a twist?" Faith asked, following.

"That's Miss Edith," Angel said, bringing up the rear. "She's Dru's special doll."

"Special how?"

"Dru thinks her bloody dolls are alive, or at least she treats them like they are," Spike said, going up the steps two at a time. "She feeds them, talks to them, punishes them when they're bad. She wouldn't just leave Miss Edith behind."

"She knew you'd take care of her," Angel said. "After all, you gave Miss Edith to her."

Spike nodded. "This time of year, too. It was a 'forgive me' gift."

"What you'd do?" Faith asked as Spike opened the door to his suite.

"It was his first Christmas as a vampire, hadn't really been one for long, and he was being a real jackass," Angel said, as they fanned out looking for other signs of Dru.

"Look who's talking. You were such a wanker Darla routinely whipped your ass out on the street," Spike said, carefully setting Miss Edith down.

"So what did you do?" Faith persisted.

"I was catting around and Dru got all weepy and vicious," Spike said.

"Darla made me talk to him to straighten it out since she was tired of listening to Dru's histrionics," Angel said.

"And I came up with perfect peace offering," Spike said.

"A doll?" Faith asked, incredulously.

"No, a family of carolers. I sent them to our house, seeing them out there spreading all that bloody good cheer. To hell with figgy pudding, give me a nice bit of veal any time."

"Does he mean kids?" Faith asked with a look of disgust and Angel nodded.

"Darla ate Daddy, Peaches got Mom and I had older sister. We left Dru the tenderest morsel, a little girl. She was carrying the ruddy doll. Dru threw the kid aside and clung to that doll ever since." Spike sat on his couch and lit up. "I don't see that she touched anything else."

"So why leave you the doll?" Faith asked.

"I think it's her way of saying, 'remember Christmases past.'" Spike blew smoke rings. "She wants me back."

"I think she wants us both back," Angel countered. "I know she's been playing to you but I have this feeling-like she's watching me."

Spike scowled. "I'm sick to death of sharing with you."

Angel smiled wickedly. "No, I'm sharing with you. You're always second choice."

Spike's eyes flashed blue fire. "More like they get bored with your wide ass and moved on to something better."

"If you two are going to get into another pissing contest, I'm leaving," Faith warned.

"That's okay, luv. I'm heading for bed, unless you care to join me." He smirked at her.

"You have your doll to cuddle up to," Faith shot back, heading for the door. "Sleep good, Spike."

"Yeah, that's just fucking great."

Faith and Angel both left him muttering. She looked over at the vampire, "All of this could really be an attempt to woo one or both of you back?"

Angel nodded. "You don't even want to know the things I did to woo Darla back whenever we had one of our tremendous break ups."

Faith shuddered. "B's already told me some of the things you did to woo her when you were Angelus again."

Angel's face took on a sad cast. "Angelus does have a certain over the top flare for the macabre. Dru is capable of atrocities, Faith. I taught her and Spike well."

"More so than these other kids she might be looking for, the son who's gonna cause you trouble? We haven't found any clues about him yet," Faith reminded him.

"I know and yes. Most of the vampires I sired, I didn't keep around long. Most of my sons were no longer interesting after a few months.¾ Dru was special and when she made but couldn't train Spike, I did it. I did it too well, so maybe it was just as well I didn't keep most of my sons around." Angel grimaced. "Spike was every bit as vicious as Angelus. We had our own special styles, very different but still equal in ferociousness."

"Yeah and now it's coming back to bite you in the ass," Faith said then sighed. "I know how that is."

Angel nodded. "I know. I'm glad it was you they sent to help, Faith. You're the one who understands the total freedom of just giving in. You know how good it felt to just give over to the Mayor, knowing there was almost no one strong enough to stop you from doing whatever the hell you want. And you know what it's like to have to restrain yourself from giving back into it again."

Faith shuddered again but this time truly feeling the internal chill. "Yeah and I could do without the reminder."

"Sorry, but my point is, Dru will make it very seductive for me and Spike. It's better we have someone where who understands that and can help us resist," Angel said softly.

Faith hip bumped him. "I'll sure as hell try."

---

Dru missed Miss Edith but she knew her Spike would take care of the girl. It was lonely in bed without her, though. Dru had barely made it home in time. She had never gotten the chance to sneak in to see Little Brother. Angel had kept too good a vigil. She waited for him to leave but he didn't until the sun was nearly up.

Still, now she knew two things for certain. Daddy knew Little Brother was in danger and probably suspected she was involved. And she knew now where Little Brother was living since Daddy had led her right to him.

Content with that, Dru snuggled down, planning on ways to get in to see her brother. She wanted time to toy with him and she meant to have it.

Chapter Six

Several days had passed since his friends had died and Connor had never felt more alone. At least he got to see Faith for just a little every day. She still treated it all like it was a business arrangement but Connor had quit pretending that was all it was to him.

He didn't know if he could make her see he wasn't just a bratty, rich and spoiled college kid but he wasn't sure if he should even bother. Connor knew it was just asking for trouble but he didn't care. Tracy had been a nice safe girl. He had grown quickly bored of that. Faith had a hint of danger and he had to admit it aroused him.

He liked that he could talk to her and tell her stuff and she didn't tell him he was crazy, like Tracy had, or his parents. At least, his parents should be home soon. His sister was almost well enough to travel, weather permitting.

Faith liked that he had wanted to go to Russia to study and that he was interested in spelunking and mountain climbing. She thought it was exciting, not insane. She almost seemed to believe him when he told her he thought aliens had abducted him for medical experimentation. They compared growing up in the wilds of urban L.A. to urban Boston, even though Connor had hardly grown up rough. He sensed she had had a hard life, had been poor even though she never said so. He tried to keep to his pampered life not exactly secret but he didn't want to seem like he was bragging.

He was keeping secret, however, his growing nightmares. Connor kept imagining Dru had found him again. He had woken up a few times with mystery bruises on his elbows and wrists but he could discount them as daily trauma. He couldn't keep from thinking, though, that Dru knew where he was and was paying him midnight visits. And he had the feeling that he was being followed but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to tell Faith or Mr. Gunn his suspicions. He didn't know why.

Connor wanted to do something nice for Faith, to thank her for all the time she had put into helping him. He figured she'd buy that and not think he was trying to take her out on a date. He planned everything like it was a date while lying to himself about his intentions. She arrived at his friend's place early afternoon just like he asked.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

Connor just looked at her for a moment, drinking her in. She had on her usual leather jacket and black pants that seemed like they might be buttery soft leather that he really wanted to touch. Her shirt was a deep red which made him glad he had by-passed the red shirt he had been planning on. Tracy had always bitched that he was too married to grays and browns and thought he needed a little color. Red and an occasional blue were his concessions to that. He wore blue, the hue Tracy said made his eyes look big and sensual. "I was thinking, you've done so much for me and I wanted to say thank you. If you had time today, I was hoping we could go do something."

Faith smiled. "What've you got in mind, kid?"

Connor tried not to flinch at the word, 'kid.' "It's a surprise...if that's okay with you. I know some girls don't like surprises, especially if it involves going somewhere and not have any idea where it is."

"I trust you, Connor." Faith chucked his shoulder. "Sounds like fun. Let's go."

"Great."

Connor led the way out to his Norton. He already had the saddlebags packed so he helped Faith on, not that she needed it and climbed in front of her. He headed off down the highway, enjoying the feel of her hands around his waist. Somewhere Connor had read that motorcyclists, the good ones, needed to have the quick decision-making and hand-eye coordination of fighter pilots. He knew his abilities were slightly impaired by the nearness of Faith. He felt stirrings that he really didn't want at the moment. It was hard enough to handle a bike in L.A. traffic. The last thing he needed was a boner. Worse, what if Faith noticed?

Connor managed to wrest control away from the little solider and got them to Griffith Park in one piece. It wasn't as pretty as it could be, given that it was winter, but he still liked to hike here. Faith glanced around curiously as she got off the bike.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Griffith Park has about fifty miles of hiking trails. I thought we could explore oh, just a tiny bit of that." He smiled at her.

"I don't think anyone's ever taken me hiking before."

Connor felt instantly nervous. Had this been a bad idea? He had thought a walk in the woods would be romantic, no, not romantic, just fun, you're doing this for...oh, who are you kidding? "We can skip that if you think it's a bad idea."

"No, I think it'll be fun. Got a favorite trail?" she asked brightly.

He bobbed his head. The sun was warm as he led the way but they both retained their leather jackets. Once they were under the trees, away from the light, it would be cool and he had no room for them in his saddlebags anyhow. Connor told her about park's history and identified trees for her when she asked. They hiked out further than he had planned.

Faith stopped, leaning against a fat oak. "You really like it out here, don't you?"

He stood next to her. "I do. I know it probably sounds silly but I like the solitude. I like being out in the country more than I do the city. Don't get me wrong. I love the city and the things there are to do but I love getting away, too. I like the feel of nature."

"I've never been one for the country," she said honestly and it felt like a punch. He was failing miserably on this date. "Maybe it's because I never had the chance to get out much in it. I was on a job in England before I came here and saw some country then. I liked it. Maybe I just need to give it a try. This is nice."

"I'm glad you like it. I was afraid I might be boring you to death or something," he said.

"I'm having a really good time," she assured him, her fingers brushing his cheek.

Connor leaned into her touch. "Good. We'd better head back or it'll be too dark for dinner."

"Too dark?" Faith grinned, pinching his side. "Did someone plan a picnic?"

Connor danced away, blushing. "Maybe."

"Sly little devil."

"That's me." He grinned and started back. "I've always wanted to go to England."

"It was fun. I have a few English friends." Faith reached out and took his hand. Connor was shocked but lost no time in interlocking his fingers with hers. "I never even thought about traveling, you know. Never had the means. But that job took me all over Europe and throughout Britain. It was one of those life changing things, made lots of things look possible when I never would have thought they could be."

"Good. I can't imagine living life not thinking things were possible," Connor said, passion illuminating his eyes. "Things are too grim for me now."

"I know you've been pretty scared. I don't blame you, of course. Probably your first taste at thinking things might not be possible," Faith said.

Connor shook his head. "Not the first. I mean, high school probably seems impossible to every kid every so often but this is the worst. I don't know what I would have done without you there. You made me less scared, so thank you."

She squeezed his hand. "You're welcome."

Connor fell into a moody silence as they walked back. He shouldn't have brought up the bad stuff. It was cool that Faith understood and was supportive but it gave him too much to think about. He tried to concentrate on the fact a very pretty girl was holding his hand. It didn't feel much like a boyfriend-girlfriend kind of handhold, more like the helping hand of a friend but he was happy just to have that.

If Faith noticed his silence as unusual, she didn't try to break it. Maybe she was just content to be walking with him, the oaks dappling the sun down on them. The woody scents rising off the wild sage and manzanita relaxed him a little. Usually he found the somewhat gnarled, torturous form of the manzanita shrubs to be intriguing but today they were a little creepy.

"What did you have planned for dinner?" Faith asked as the bike came into view.

"Something light, actually. Not a lot of room in the saddle bags to carry much," he said. "I'm so used to making things for my ex that I think I'm stuck in that mind set. She was a vegan so I didn't even think of making anything with meat or cheese or flavor...."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Faith ruffled his hair. "But for the record, I like meat."

Connor sighed. "Thank God. I got so sick of munching grass."

"I thought you liked smoking it." Faith flashed him a wicked grin.

Connor flushed. "That's a different story and I happen to make a fantastic hemp seed pesto but that's not something I drag along on picnics." He grabbed the saddlebags off his bike and carried them to the spot he knew he wanted to dine at. He set them down and took out a carefully folded and rolled blanket, handing it off to Faith.

While she unfurled it, he took out the soft-sided coolers from the bags. She stretched out and looked up at him. He handed her plates and utensils along with two bottles of water. "I couldn't bring along any wine. I figure I'm in enough trouble with the cops as it is."

"Understood."

Connor took out a container holding white, nearly see-thru rolls wrapped around something deep green and a smaller container with a greenish sauce. "Help yourself. They're avocado spring rolls with tamarind dipping sauce."

Faith stared at the offering, surprised, expecting something more prosaic. "Tamarind?"

"It's tangy-sour. I hope you like it. And in here there's almond-mushroom pate," Connor said, taking out another container along with a bag of fluffy hunks of bread to scoop it up with. "And lastly walnutapple salad with raspberry vinaigrette."

"You made all this?" she said doubtfully, still not attempting to eat any of the food.

"I'm a good cook," he assured her.

"I'm more of a hamburger and hot dog kinda girl," she said, and his heart fell. She took a tentative taste of the spring roll. Faith's eyes lit up as she chewed. "Oooo, that's good."

"Glad you like it." He sounded relieved. Between them they made short work of the meal. Connor went into the saddlebag for one last thing. "I hope you like this. It's a little mushy and I forgot bowls but I'm not opposed to eating out of the container."

"What is it?" Faith asked, rubbing her belly.

"Homemade mango ice cream." Connor handed her a spoon.

Her nostrils flared. "You made your own ice cream?"

Connor shrugged. "It's easy."

Faith dug in. "Ummm. You're over eighteen, right?"

"Yeah" His lips twitched up. "Why?"

Her eyes slotted. "I'm thinking of taking you home and chaining you in the kitchen."

Connor's mouth went into a little 'O'. "Do I get any fringe benefits?"

Faith grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

Connor shrugged, turning on his best innocent look. "Oh, I'm sure you can think of something."

"Yeah, and I could probably include this ice cream." Faith licked her lips.

"Take me." Connor tried to keep his dubious control.

Faith snorted, slapped his thigh and dug back into the ice cream. Connor sighed. So close, how did I lose her? He decided to give up on tormenting himself about how wrong this was. He looked up at the golds and roses in the sky and pointed up.

"Look at the view," he said, moving closer to her.

Faith craned her head up as he got so close their shoulders were touching. "It's beautiful. I'm really glad you brought me here."

"Good." He looked up at the sky with her for a few moments then moved in for a kiss. To his horror, she reacted more with shock than desire. Connor backed away. "Sorry, I don't...sorry." He started putting the containers back in his saddlebags. "I didn't mean..."

"Connor, stop." Faith caught his hands, halting the flurry of motion. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry." He couldn't look at her. "I didn't bring you out here because..."

"You wanted to thank me and that's cool."

"I had one last thing planned, too, but now I guess you'd rather I just take you home," Connor said, still staring at his saddlebags.

Faith turned his head with one finger under his chin. "I'd love to see what else you had planned." She kissed him lightly.

"Really?" he asked when she broke the kiss.

"Really."

He smiled faintly. "Okay. Help me pack up."

Once everything was in the saddlebags and back on his bike, Connor drove to a dumpy little building in a northeast section of the park. "That really pretty building on top of the hill, that's where I really wanted to take you but it's under renovation and it's not open."

"What is it?"

"The Griffith Observatory. They're using this building for the next couple of years." Connor held out his hand to her. "They let you look at the stars and moon and Mars and all of that. It's cool."

"Neat."

Connor let Faith chose what to do first inside the temporary observatory. He could sense this wasn't her normal thing but she took to it fast. It was practically closing time when they finally headed out. Connor paused, feeling eyes on him. He looked around and saw nothing.

"What's wrong?" Faith asked.

Connor shook his head. "I'm just easily spooked any more. I thought someone was watching me."

Faith surprised him by going instantly alert. He was suddenly reminded she was a detective. "Let's go home."

Connor didn't argue. He pushed the bike fast along the streets and Faith walked him up to his friend's apartment. He looked at her, eyes full of need. "Can you come in for a while?"

"Sure. Let me check the place out."

Connor shuddered at the idea that she thought someone might be in his place and he let her do the cop-type stuff while he dumped the saddlebags on the kitchen floor. He didn't feel like doing dishes.

"Looks clear," Faith said. "Want me to stay?"

"Yes," he said, flicking the tv on. He didn't want to watch. He just needed the noise. He slumped on the couch.

Faith sat beside him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He sounded anything but.

"I had a good time today. Thanks."

He summoned up a smile. "I'm glad." He looked over at her. Her eyes were filled with concern. Connor leaned in and dared another kiss.

This time she responded not with shock, nor light, friendly encouragement but with heat. Her hands slid around him, pulling him closer. Connor wrapped his arms around her, feeling her strength as she pressed her tongue into him. She moved faster than he was used to, her hands probing and caressing, no, that was too gentle a word. Her hands demanded things of him and his body was willing to give in.

She had his shirt off, nuzzling his neck before he could have second thoughts. The tip of his cock hurt, pressing against his zipper and into the curve of her hip. Her teeth caught his earlobe and suddenly he was reminded of Dru, of his dead friends, of the things that happened the last time he brought a girl home and he pushed away.

"I'm sorry," he rasped out.

"What?" Faith said sharply, then she reached out, stroking his hair. "Oh."

"I can't. I just...I shouldn't have." Connor tried to fight back the wave of emotion. Why had it chosen now to come crashing to shore? He couldn't help himself, feeling the tears racing down his cheeks. "Last time..."

"Dru killed your friends," Faith said, flatly. "Shit, I should have remembered what you went through. I'm the one who's sorry for rushing you."

He shook his head. "Oh god, I killed them. It's all my fault."

Faith's arms went around him but there was nothing sexual in her touch this time. She squeezed him tight. "It wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing Dru was a killer."

"My fault," he choked then couldn't find any more air.

"No, baby, it's not." Faith rubbed his back. "Just let it out. Let go of it. You've been holding it in too long."

He wept until his throat felt too sore to draw breath, until his body was shaking so hard he thought he'd slide off the couch if not for Faith, wept until he had no more strength left. "Sorry." He muttered, his head resting against her shoulder, tears and snot, flowing onto her shirt.

"It's okay. Come on." Faith helped him up.

Connor was only dimly aware she was leading him to his bed. He sat on the edge of it and accepted the box of tissues she gave him. He wiped his face, blew his nose then stripped down to his underwear. Only then did he realize she had raided Tamar's closet and had on one of her nightgowns.

Faith slid under the covers and held out her arms to him. Connor went into them and she flipped the covers over them. "I'll stay the night. You need someone to hold onto."

"Thanks," he mumbled wearily, tucking into her. She held him tight. As Beggar the cat joined them, he was already drifting off to sleep, too mentally wasted to fight his exhaustion.

---

Faith found Angel in the hallway, looking baffled by the digital camera he had in hand. She had slept later than she intended to, almost to eight, with Connor still having a death grip on her. She wasn't used to being practically slept on. Hell, she wasn't used to hanging around to actually sleep with a man. Every time she wriggled away from Connor, he'd find her again in his sleep so she just gave up. She had to admit, it wasn't all that bad. He didn't snore much but he did talk in his sleep. His dreams were strange. She only hoped she had comforted him. She wasn't used to doing that. It made her feel awkward.

"Still roaming the halls?" she asked. "You don't sleep much, do you?"

"I'm heading to bed, as soon as I find Spike. He didn't check in with a report. Not that I actually expected him to. This is Spike, after all. He prefers I come find him," Angel said, with a shrug. "Make him feel important."

"What's up with the camera?" Faith fell in step with Angel.

"Fred gave one to all of us for the Christmas party, which you're invited to, of course. Christmas day, my suite, just you, me, Fred, Wes, Lorne, Gunn and unfortunately Spike. Luckily Knox went home to his family because I'm not in the mood for all the tension. Anyhow, she wants lots of candids and insists we all use one of these." Angel scowled at the camera. "I don't know how to use this thing and I hate having my picture taken."

"Buck up, big guy." Faith grinned. "I know Willow's doing the same thing over in England."

"Was it a quiet night?" Angel asked, changing the subject. "I know you were looking out for Connor yesterday."

"If you could call it that."

His eyes narrowed, danger filling them. "What would you call it?"

"A date," she replied. "I spent the night."

"Faith!" Angel yanked her to a halt. "That's completely inappropriate."

She jerked free. "Listen, dad, I can do what I want. He's not my client. I'm looking out for him as a favor and he's legal. Besides, it wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like?" he asked, his voice rough.

"Okay, it could have been what you're thinking and I don't see where it's any of your business, Angel. But I spent the night because the kid finally fell apart. He's alone and scared and I stayed there because no one should be alone when they're in that kind of place. He really didn't want me to leave this morning. I told him I had to. If you and Spike didn't find any signs of Dru or your troublesome son, then it's back to me to look for clues in the daylight."

Angel glanced away, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, you're right. It's not my business but I'm glad you could help him."

"Besides, he was sweet, Angel. He took me to Griffith Park and we hiked in the woods. He planned out a picnic for afterwards and let me tell you, the kid can cook. He even took me stargazing at the Observatory. I know he's young for me, and I know I shouldn't be taking advantage of someone that fucked up, but it felt good, you know."

"Sounds nice," Angel grumbled, still obviously unhappy.

"Very nice. I've been with a lot of guys but I haven't been on many dates, if you know what I mean. Usually we just skip that and get right down to it. Robin took me on a few dates but that was after we had done it. Of course, he and I thought we were gonna die inside the Hellmouth so it made sense to have sex first and if we lived...well, I generally don't go back for seconds." Faith shrugged, not seeming embarrassed. It just the way things were in her world.

"You said Robin was teaching you better." Angel's voice gentled.

Faith nodded. "He tried and it helped. Otherwise I might have been weirded out by the kid and his big plans. But I wasn't. He made me feel special. No one's ever really tried to do that before...except maybe you but not in a sexual way, of course."

He smiled tenderly. "I knew what you meant."

"I guess I'm finally learning. Better late than never." Faith paused at Spike's door. "Do you have a key like he does for your place?"

"He has an actual key? I thought he was just jimmying the lock. That's it, I'm going to a combination lock that changes daily," Angel said, pulling out a key and wagging it. "I have a key to everything."

"Good to know."

Angel unlocked the door and they both went in. They heard a grunt from the bedroom and Angel pushed Faith in first. They froze. Spike was handcuffed wrists and ankles to the bed. His naked body had been wrapped in lit Christmas lights. A stuffed snowman had been tethered into his mouth but he seemed to be working it free, chewing on it in vamp form. Bows had been placed on his head and over his nipples and the words "Happy Christmas" had been carved into his abdomen. A Celtic cross was around his neck, the cross having burnt to bone just north of his heart. Most painful of all was the raging erection that couldn't find release thanks to the red ribbon tied far too snuggly at the base of his cock, now a deep purple hue. A Christmas bulb had been speared through his foreskin. The room smelled of stale sex and perfume.

"Ouch." Faith flinched then looked behind her hearing the click of the digital camera.

"What?" Angel asked, as Spike snarled behind his snowman gag. "I have to learn to use this thing."

"Tell you what, Angel, why don't you just roll out the red carpet for Dru? She seems to waltz in here no problem," Faith said, pointedly.

"I see your point. Dru's very crafty about getting around magical barriers," Angel said, practicing with his camera some more.

Faith glanced at Angel. "I guess we'd better release him."

Angel shrugged. "I was thinking of selling tickets to the show."

Spike's handcuffs rattled as he flipped Angel off.

"Got bolt cutters?" Faith said, going over to Spike's bed. She took the cross off his neck. "These look pretty damn sturdy."

"I'll send for some." Angel headed into the other room.

Faith ran a finger over Spike's forehead ridges. "You are ugly in this form."

His blue eyes narrowed and she thought he was cursing behind the gag. She untied the tether and pulled what was left of the snowman free. Spike coughed and choked. "Fuck it, get that thing off my todger before it falls off."

Faith glanced down at Dru's knot work. "I don't want to touch that. Angel?"

"Have you gone insane?" he answered from the other room.

"Just do it, damn you. It's not like you haven't touched a barrel full of pickles in your day, Faith."

Faith scowled and shoved the snowman back into Spike's mouth. She surveyed the too-tight Grecian sandal on Spike's dick and gave the bow a tug. It slid free effortlessly and the ribbon loosened. Spike shrieked in agony as blood rushed back out of his cock.

Angel came back in with the bolt cutters. "We have some fast maintenance men around here." He cut through all the handcuffs. Spike curled into a ball, still wrapped in lights, which Faith unplugged. She could see where they had burnt blisters all over him. His back was a mess of furrows, no doubt dug by Dru's nails. Spike freed himself from the offending Christmas bulb and tossed it against the wall where it shattered loudly.

"Thought you'd never come to the rescue," Spike moaned.

"We almost didn't. If I hadn't been curious to see if you found Dru, you'd have been here all day," Angel said.

"Guess you found her," Faith said.

Spike flopped onto his back, giving her the evil eye. "She found me, was waiting for me with a cattle prod when I got back. She loves those things. After giving me a little pay back for the time I used one on her, she chained me up, had a little fun with me and left me like you found me."

"Did she say why?" Faith asked.

"She said she was going to torture me until I loved her again," Spike said. "Which was what I had said once about her. Guess the stars told her, or maybe Miss Edith or who the hell knows. And she was ranting about someone called Little Brother betraying her and that she was going to make him pay."

Angel grabbed Spike, glass lights shattering under his hand. "Did she say how?"

Spike pulled back, blood streaking down his arm. "Not a clue. She seemed to think it would hurt you, too, and it sure looks like the barmy bint was right. You know what she's talking about."

"I'm with Spike on this, Angel. What's up?" Faith asked.

Angel left the room.

"Stop him," Spike said stripping the lights off his body. "Owww, and bring him back here 'cause I can't bloody walk just now."

Faith ran after Angel, catching him before he got out of the suite. "You can't run out on us, Angel. You know something, you have to share. The seer said this was big and bad and damn it, my life's on the line so you tell me everything I need to know. Now get back in there before I make you."

Angel yanked away. "Faith, this isn't something I can tell you."

"Would you keep it hidden from Buffy?" she asked, cuttingly.

"Yes."

"Not good enough. You can risk your own ass, Angel. Fine by me. But not mine. And what about Connor's? If Dru's really after him and I don't know the whole story how the hell can I protect him?"

Angel sagged. "All right."

He went back into the bedroom and prowled around the wall. "I know who Little Brother is."

"Care to share?" Spike asked, trying to find a comfortable way to rest his battered body.

"He's the boy in the seer's vision."

"Another one of your little vampire kids? We knew that much. Any clues where he is?" Faith asked, sitting down on Spike's floor after tossing him some clothes.

"No, not a vampire kid." Angel's pacing picked up speed. "He's a living child."

"That's not possible." Faith dragged him to a halt. "Vampires can't have children."

"There was a prophesized one," Angel said. "I never even knew about it until it happened."

"Wait, you mean that vamp messiah kid? Dru used to go on about him but I guess that was after you got all souled and weepy and left us," Spike said, suddenly interested in the conversation. "That's a bunch of bollocks, vampires gone soft in the head, waiting for a vampire child to be born and lead them."

"It's true. Darla and I had a living son," Angel said, leaning against the wall. "Dru's after him. She knows I'll do anything she wants as long as she doesn't hurt him."

Faith shook her head. "How is this possible? Angel, no one here has ever given a sign that you have a kid. I mean, someone would. No one here is that good at keeping secrets."

"They don't remember." Angel started pacing again, the broken Christmas bulb grinding underfoot. "I had Wolfram and Hart work a spell. They removed him from everyone's memories."

Faith gasped. "Angel, diddling with our memories, that's fucked up and trusting Wolfram and Hart, what the fuck is wrong with you? These people paid me to kill you."

"You did a lousy job," Spike said. "But I'm with you on the whole big magic. Come on, Peaches, you've been around long enough to know how bad that always goes."

Angel punched a wall. "I know but I panicked. I didn't know what else to do."

"He's the baby in the picture with Cordy, the one you didn't want me to see," Faith guessed and Angel nodded. "What did you do with the baby, Angel?"

"How could a baby betray anyone?" Spike asked.

"He was taken from me by Holtz, you probably remember me and Darla talking about him, Spike. He pursued us through time. He took my son and they ended up in Quor-Toth. My baby grew up in hell. He's a teenaged boy."

"If he grew up there, he's a fucked up boy," Spike said, wincing as he shifted on the bed. He grabbed for his abused chest as the motion pulled apart the healing undead flesh.

"That's a good way of putting it," Angel agreed. "He was taught to hate me and things went from bad to worse with the Beast and Angelus."

"I was here for Angelus and you messed with my brain, too." Faith shot him a hot look.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice." Angel's voice grew brittle. "He ended up taking a bunch of people hostage and he was going to kill them."

"Why?" Faith asked.

"For the same reason you tortured Wesley," Angel replied frankly.

"To get you to put him out of his misery," Faith whispered, glancing away.

"Exactly. He was losing his mind. He wanted to die. I couldn't kill him so I had Wolfram and Hart give him a new life and remove him from ours," Angel said.

Faith's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. "That's why you've been so nuts about Connor, how you knew Dru might want him, why you want to know everything I've done with him. He's your kid."

"He can't know that, Faith. He can't ever know it," Angel said, grabbing her arms.

"You gave him a new rich family and he was happy until Dru came along," Faith said, pulling free.

"You should have known Dru would figure it out," Spike said. "You made a real arse-up of this, Angel."

"You think I don't know that, Spike?" Angel snarled. "I want to protect him and I can't risk letting the truth out."

"I'll go right back over there now. I won't leave him," Faith said.

"Thank you, Faith. Dru's holed up somewhere. Spike and I will find her," Angel said.

"You can thank me by never fucking with my brain again," Faith snapped.

He looked horribly abashed. "I won't. Keep him safe for me, Faith."

"You can count on me."

---

Dru looked around the morgue at her new children. Daddy had been so distracted by what she had done to spike he had forgotten to keep an eye on these three. She looked at Damien, Brian and Javier who were still sucking down some morgue attendants. "You know where to go when the sun comes up. I will meet you there. Tomorrow, we will go and play with your friend," she told them and they grunted at her.

Dru didn't care if they didn't show up as instructed. It would be better if they did but she could handle things if they didn't. Last night, seeing Little Brother watching her stars with the Slayer, Dru had known the heat of fury and took it out on her darling Spike. Tonight, it was Little Brother's turn to pay for his fleshy indiscretions.

Dru knew best how to handle a Slayer. She patted her velvet bag as she left the morgue. Everything she needed was in there. When she got to Little Brother's new home, she knew the Slayer was inside. Dru didn't need to knock or be invited. She had been paying Little Brother visits. Daddy's spies hadn't kept her from the place. Little Brother had even given her a key and when she left him time after time, thought she was nothing more than a bad dream or a bit of underdone potato.

Dru was inside before the Slayer even knew she was there. Faith cried out, seeing her and jumped off the couch. Dru already had cattle prod in hand and met Faith's charge. Little Brother screamed as Faith went down, striking her head on the edge of the table. Blood spattered the carpeting. Little Brother attacked her, not knowing the strength behind his fists, not knowing Daddy had taken away his ability to do battle. He swung wildly. Dru's counterblow sent him flying into the wall. His head shattered the plaster and he slid down the wall, leaving a red streak behind him.

Dru took shackles out of her bag and bound the Slayer. She ran a finger along Faith's bleeding scalp and tasted her. Exquisite, but she found she preferred Little Brother. Dru hauled him up, dragging him toward the bed room. He moaned as she flung him on the bed. Dru leaned over him and his eyes fluttered open.

"No," he cried. "You can't be here."

"You betrayed me, Little Brother," Dru said, "lying with that naughty girl."

"Faith...." He twisted, trying to see into the other room. "Don't hurt us, please. I'll do anything you want. Just don't hurt us."

"Bad boys must be punished," Dru said, slipping a hand into his pants. Her nails pricked into his testicles. Connor shrieked. Dru withdrew her hand and tapped his forehead. "Forget now, Little Brother."

He went slack on the bed. Dru lifted him up and bit into his neck. His blood flowed over her tongue like a pure, mountain stream. Dru drank deeply. She was barely able to stop herself. She finally let him go. His body shivered on the bed. He would be weak but she knew he wouldn't die.

Dru went back out into the living room and stood over Faith. "I should kill you," she said. "But I made you and you are perfect; dark, deadly and beautiful."

Dru knew she didn't want this Slayer dead, at least not yet. She hit Faith again with the cattle prod, just to be sure then picked her up. It was time to make a delivery to Daddy.

Chapter Seven

"I've been calling Faith all night," Angel said to Spike.

"Any signs of life at the kid's place?" Spike asked, following Angel towards his office.

"There were lights on all night. That can't be normal. The Senior Partners countermanded my orders and the guard they let me place on the apartment isn't allowed to enter. They're afraid of being sued or some shit. I can't get inside to check the place out," Angel snarled, hating that restriction. He had defeated it once to save Kate. Why hadn't he been able to do it to help his son?

"Means he's alive." Spike gave him an encouraging look.

"Means the owner is alive," Angel countered. "Connor's friend who's out of state owns the place. He and Faith could be dead inside."

"Hey, boss man," Harmony piped up as the two vampires entered the outer office. She spared an angry look for Spike. "A huge gift must have arrived for you early this morning. It's hogging up the office."

Angel glanced at Spike, seeing the same fear in his grandchilde's eyes. Huge could mean human-sized. "Thanks Harmony." He went inside with Spike and locked the door just in case it was a living surprise that he didn't need escaping; then again that would be preferable to finding his son or Faith dead inside the enormous green wrapped box in front of his desk. The box shook a little as something hit it from inside.

The vampires exchanged looks then set upon the gift, shredding the paper. Underneath was a steamer trunk and inside, gagged and bound hand and foot was Faith. Her skin was bluish but she was alive. Angel lifted her up and Spike tore her gag off. Faith gasped then choked.

Spike hit the button on Angel's intercom. "Harm, we're going to need bolt cutters. Send some up." He didn't wait for her reply. "You okay, luv?"

Faith coughed some more. "Only one air hole."

"Dru?" Angel asked.

Faith licked her dry lips and caught her breath. "I'm sorry, Angel. She got in somehow, took me by surprise. She still had the cattle prod. I was down before I knew what hit me. I woke up inside there. God, it was like being in a coffin."

"We'll get you out of the cuffs in a minute," Spike promised, rubbing her back.

"My son, Faith, did she get him?" Angel asked, fighting to keep the panic out of his voice.

"He was there. She had to," Faith said, her eyes going moist. "I fucked up."

Angel hugged her awkwardly. "It's not your fault. I-I don't think she's killed him, not yet. If he's dead, she has no leverage with me."

"Unless she-" Spike said then hurriedly backed away at Angel's expression.

"Don't think it," Angel snarled. "She hasn't made him one of us."

The intercom chirped. Spike thumbed it on. "Yeah?"

"Angel, the bolt cutters are on their way. And the front desk guard just called. He said one of Mr. Gunn's clients is here, some kid, but he's not asking to see Gunn. He's insisting on seeing Faith," Harmony said.

"Have them send him up here and have him wait there with you. Get Gunn over here and tell them to hurry the hell up with those cutters," Angel said then sighed, squeezing Faith again. "If he came through the front door, he's not dead. It's daylight."

Faith said nothing. She simply wept.

***

Connor woke up with a splitting headache. He had had another of his Dru dreams again. "Faith?" he called, sitting up. The room spun and he felt sick. He couldn't stop himself nor did he have the strength to get up before vomiting over the edge of the bed. Connor finally managed to get his feet under him and saw the sheets were soaked with blood.

"Oh god, not again." He stumbled into the bathroom and saw the wound on his neck. The holes were vivid, barely scabbed over. His hair was matted with blood. He put a hand to the crusty mass on the back of his head and it felt like a bruised melon, soft and swollen under the dried blood.

Connor staggered out into the living room. There were no signs of Faith but he saw the bloody hole in the wall and the blood on the carpeting. Faith was nowhere in the apartment. Connor knew he should call the police, call Detective Ansen and tell her Dru had taken Faith but what if the detective thought he had done it and just staged the attack. He wanted to flee the apartment but the call of nature won out. He had to pee first and, to his horror, he had another deep bruise with holes in it on his thigh. Shaking, Connor got a shirt and went out to his Norton.

Maybe calling a cab would be better but he knew he wasn't thinking straight. He got on the bike and drove directly to Wolfram and Hart. It took a little convincing before the front desk guard would even call upstairs. Connor didn't blame him. He was being confronted by a kid who had obviously been attacked or had done some attacking. Finally he was escorted to an office.

"Have a seat," the blonde secretary told him.

Connor didn't argue. He all but fell into a chair. "Is Mr. Gunn here?"

"He'll be here soon," the blonde said. "Can I get you anything?"

Connor shook his head then regretted it. "I'm fine."

"Mr. McGillycuddy," Gunn said, coming into the room. His eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?"

Before Connor could answer, the door to the inner office opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired man. Behind him, Connor saw Faith. He jumped to his feet, nearly fell, then ran to her. "Faith, you're okay! What are you doing here? What happened?"

Faith hugged him, dragging him inside and plopping him on the couch.

"What's going on here, Angel?" Gunn asked, confused and obviously disliking it.

"I think the boy's about to tell us that," Angel said, folding his arms.

Connor looked up at them. "I didn't know what to do, Mr. Gunn. I thought I had another dream about Dru coming into my place. I've been having them. But I woke up and I feel like shit. The sheets are covered with blood and I have this." Connor peeled down his collar to show the wound on his neck. The dark-haired stranger came over and examined him, concern in his dark eyes. Connor winced at the touch, pulling the collar back up seeing it was generating more attention than he was comfortable with.

"I have more on my legs. I thought, shit, it wasn't a dream. Somehow she got in and she did hurt me and Faith and she must have drugged me again. I went out to the living room and I could see where she put my head through the wall. Faith's blood was on the carpet. I was going to call the cops but I was afraid they'd say I did it to throw suspicion off myself. I don't even know how I drove here. I feel like I'm ready to pass out at any second."Connor wobbled a bit, putting his head in his hands.

Gunn picked up Angel's phone and hit a button. "Send someone to Angel's office with a gurney. We have someone the doctor's need to check out." He disconnected and hit another button. "Fred, meet me in the infirmary."

"Thanks, Gunn," the dark-haired man said.

"I don't understand. How did you get here, Faith? Why did you leave me?" Connor asked.

She touched his shoulder. "I didn't leave you, kid. She tasered me, stuffed me in that trunk over there and delivered me here." She gestured at the trunk. "They just found me when you showed up downstairs."

Connor pursed his lips. "But why?"

"Because Dru's nuts," the blond man said with a shrug.

"Who are you two?" Connor pointed to him and the dark haired one.

"That's Spike," Faith said. "And Angel. He's my boss. He sort of runs Wolfram and Hart."

Connor wrinkled his nose. "You look familiar, like I've seen you around campus."

"I started out as a detective. Sometimes I like to keep my hand in. You might have seen me working the area," Angel said. "Why don't you just rest until our doctors check you out?"

"You believe me?" Connor asked, shocked.

"We do," Angel said as two of the firm's private EMS workers came in with a gurney. "Here you go," he said to them, indicating Connor.

Connor got up, feeling weak-kneed. He let them help him onto the gurney.

"We have a few more questions, so we're going to come with, is that okay?" Angel asked.

Connor nodded. "Yeah."

He lay back and nearly passed out on the trip to the infirmary. He was only half-aware of the nurses moving him to a bed. He came back to himself as one of them tightened some rubber around his arm. His eyes widened seeing the infirmary. It bore a frightening resemblance to the one in his alien abduction 'memories.' If a certain man in a lab coat, the human collaborator in his fuzzy memories, appeared, Connor knew he'd bolt no matter how hard it might be for him at this point. Seeing Faith still standing there calmed him. He knew she wouldn't let anyone hurt him. He felt it deep down inside him to be true.

"They're going to take some blood," Gunn said. "To see how anemic you are, if you need a transfusion. Oh, Fred, there you are," he added as a slender woman came in. "Connor, did you shower this morning after you woke up?"

"No."

"Great. Fred, supervise your team doing swabs of Connor's injuries. Let's see if we can find some DNA for Detective Ansen. I'll call her and tell her you were attacked, Connor and send her out to the apartment with a team to see if she can find Dru's prints to match to your dorm room." Gunn turned to Faith, enthusiasm in his dark eyes. "Faith, she'll want to talk to you. You can back up Connor's story. Fred, we'll need someone in here to take photographs of his injuries."

"Of course."

"Um, does everyone have to be in here for that?" Connor asked. "I'm not a prude but I'm not thrilled with being naked in front of a bunch of strangers."

"No problem. This actually should clear you of all suspicion, Connor," Gunn said.

Connor let his head drop back against the starched pillow case. He flinched, having forgotten his injured head, that pain lost in the sea of pain that he was swimming in. "Thank God." He lifted his head just a bit. "You had more questions."

"They can wait until the doctor checks you out," Angel said. "We'd like you to stay here, for your own safety, if that's okay with you."

Connor nodded. "Someone has to take care of Beggar, my friend's cat."

"We'll send someone for it," Gunn said.

"Thanks. Faith, I'm glad you're okay."

"Same here, blue eyes. You want me to stay here with you?" she asked.

He held out his hand. "Please."

Faith it. "Someone get me a chair, please. Angel, if you need me-"

"I know where to find you. Just relax, Connor. You should be safe here," Angel promised. Connor barely heard him, giving in to his exhaustion.

---

Drusilla was utterly pleased that her three new boys had joined her outside of Wolfram and Hart. They looked freshly blooded and ready for action. It had cost her some of her strength days ago to make all three at once but it was worth it. They were beautiful.

"Come along, boys," she said, swishing her way into the building. "And remember what I've told you."

"No playing with Connor," Damien said, looking disappointed.

"Touch him and I'll scatter your ashes," Drusilla said succinctly as she snapped the neck of the guard, unable to make him miss seeing a quartet. She had learned quickly the boys didn't understand the poetry she loved so to speak in. Lackeys rarely did but she had hopes these ones would learn soon. She was proud of the lust for the kill her children showed.

"Everyone else is fair game, right?" Brian asked and Dru nodded.

"But not until after we catch Irish," Javier reminded him.

Dru punched the button for the elevator. No one took notice of them in their human faces. She led them down a hall and stopped at a door. "Daddy has the toady watching Little Brother while everyone else is planning for us." She grinned broadly. "Mistake. He should have known from the way the clouds are playing with the moon."

"Uh-huh. I should have written poetry like that," Brian said, sarcastically.

Missing his tone, Dru ruffled his red hair. "Another poet. Spike will be so pleased." She pointed to the door. "He will know me. You know what to do."

Dru stood out of sight and let her boys knock on the door.

It opened to a man in a brilliant purple shirt covered in blue and yellow paisley. "Hang on a sec, Con-man, and I'll finish telling you how I adopted this-makeup for my Vegas act." His red eyes fixed on the three teens. "What can I do for you?"

"We're friends of Connor's. He gave us a call," Damien said.

The creature's eyes slotted. "He hasn't made any calls."

"Sure he has," Javier said, catching the door as the creature tried to shut it. He slammed it open, smashing it into the creature's face.

Dru waved a hand for the others to get inside. She shut the door behind her, kicking the demon while he was down. "Hello, Little Brother. Time to play."

Little Brother took one look at the quartet and screamed wordlessly. He leapt off the couch and fell. Dru saw how pale he was. She had almost taken too much blood. Little Brother would have precious little to spare tonight. He crabbed backwards on the carpeting. "No, no, you're all dead. I saw your bodies."

"Who would have thought Stoker had it right?" Damien laughed.

"He doesn't really," Dru said, her face morphing. "But close enough. Come on, Little Brother, time to join the family."

Little Brother shrieked as his friends' face went all bumpy, their eyes sheening gold and their fangs peeked out. He tried to get to his feet and run. Dru saw the green demon had gotten up behind her new children. "Lorne, run!" Little Brother cried.

Javier, Damien and Brian whirled, one of them narrowly missing getting whacked with a lamp. They fell on Lorne, tearing at his throat. He shrieked. Dru knew they'd figure out their mistake soon enough. She heard them spitting out the unpalatable blood as she hauled Little Brother up by his silky hair.

"Enough boys. You can't eat that thing," she said. "Time to dance for the moon."

Little Brother was thrashing in her grasp. He was strong, despite being low on his vital fluids. She tossed him to his friends. They struggled with him, finally getting him up off his feet. Dru put her hand over his mouth and nose and eventually he quit squirming.

"Bring him," Dru demanded, stalking down the hall toward the stairwell. Javier had Little Brother draped over his shoulder in a fireman's carry as Dru led the way to Daddy's rooms. Alarms went off half way there.

"Damn, we shoulda trashed that green thing," Damien said, glancing around.

Dru shook her head, her long curls swishing. "It'll speed up the game." She hustled up the stairs faster. Dru opened Angel's suite with a sharp twist of the wrist, snapping the lock. It was empty. She clapped her hands seeing all the decorations. "Daddy is all ready for his present. Put him on the couch and go hide up the hall. Come at them from behind, once they come inside."

Javier dumped Little Brother on the couch and they retreated out of the room. Dru went around turning on all the lights and pretty decorations. Little Brother woke up to the sounds of Christmas carols. He trembled on the couch, too spent to move. Dru sat with him and he whimpered.

"It ends tonight, Little Brother," she told him.

Fat tears rolled down his cheeks as his quivering lips poured out words she didn't want to hear, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord be with you. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our deaths, Amen. Hail Mary-"

Dru clamped a hand over his mouth and wagged a finger back and forth. "None of that, Little Brother. The holy mother wants nothing to do with the likes of you."

Little Brother cocked back his fist and hit her, taking her by surprise. He broke free and ran for the door. Dru tackled him, licking her own blood off her lips.

"Impish Little Brother," she scolded, slicing through the skin of his neck with a nail painted red with gold snowflakes, a gift from a manicurist just before Dru had gobbled her up.

Little Brother cried out as Dru yanked him up, licking the shallow wound. She listened to voices in the hall. Daddy was coming.

"Are you sure, Angel?" a British voice was saying.

"Trust me, Wes. It's Drusilla. She's got Connor. She wasn't waiting for us in Spike's room so she has to be in mine," Daddy said as he came into the room. He froze in the doorway as Dru jerked Little Brother's head to the side so Daddy could see the bleeding wound.

Dru saw her Spike behind Angel with the Slayer she made and a dark haired man with blue fire for eyes. Oh, he looked so good, she might have to keep him, too. "Play time," she sing-songed.

"Help me, please," Little Brother wailed as her tongue rasped his neck.

"Let him go, Dru," Angel said, edging into the room, making downward sweeps of his hands to keep his friends from attacking immediately.

"You have to play the game first," Dru insisted, stomping her foot.

"No one's playing, Dru," Angel said, slowly working his way to her. He stopped when she drew the pad of her finger across Little Brother's neck. Daddy understood the warning.

"It's time to be a family again, Daddy. I need you," Dru said, her blue eyes soft and moist. "I need my little Spike, too."

"It won't work any more, Dru," Spike said, his voice full of honest regret and truth.

"It can. It's written in the snow. The holly whispers it," Dru insisted, pointing at Faith. "You can bring that Slayer. Little Brother needs his own dark rose."

"Not interested," Faith said. "Let us have him and you can walk out of here."

"Oooo, listen to her lie, her words like honey," Dru cooed, petting Little Brother's hair.

"Dru, I don't want to have to kill you," Angel said. "You were my special girl."

"Daddy lies, too, doesn't he, Little Brother? Does he lie to you like he does me?" Dru kissed her captive's cheek.

"I don't know what you're talking about. That's not my father. My dad's in Canada," Little Brother said, writhing in her grasp.

"Why does your son not know you?" Dru asked Angel then heard the cocking of a cross bow. She pulled Little Brother in front of her. He was too thin to hide behind easily but it was enough to shield her heart. "Naughty, naughty. If you don't play nice, I'll put you in the corner," she tsked at Wes.

"You're outnumbered, Drusilla," Spike said. "You can't fight us all."

"I don't have to. I asked Daddy a question, what lies have you told, Daddy, that your boy doesn't know you?" Dru ran her fingers over Little Brother's head. "Ah, I see. It's like a web. Bad Daddy."

"Dru, please don't do it," Angel said, his eyes widened so Drusilla knew he feared her.

"What in the hell is she talking about? I don't know you," Little Brother said, shaking.

"Difficult, very intricate, bad magic" Dru said, ticking a finger against her kin's temple then against the base of his skull.

"Dru, no!" Angel lunged for her.

She lifted Little Brother up off the ground by his neck. He gurgled as her strong fingers dug into his flesh. "He's too precious to kill, but I will." She wiped her finger against his oozing wound as she set him down and reached out to rouge Angel's lips all the while keeping a death grip on Little Brother's throat. That kept Angel from hurting her. "Taste that. As good as a Slayer's, better, sweeter. Spike loved it."

"You're fucking nuts," Little Brother said as she relaxed her grip.

She slapped him, her nails raking his face. "That's no way to talk to a lady, Little Brother. You need manners. Maybe this will help." She flicked his other temple. She ringed a finger around his forehead. "Wonder what happens if I do this?"

Dru stabbed her finger dead center against his forehead as Angel screamed 'no.' Little Brother convulsed in her grip and she dropped him. He balled up, howling. Faith and Wes rocked back, holding their heads, moaning in pain. Wes' crossbow clattered to the ground.

"What's happening, Peaches?" Spike asked.

"She's undone the spell," Angel said, defeated.

Connor unfolded, sitting up, his face wet with tears. "I'm not me. I'm not me!" he cried, rocking back and forth.

"Angel, what have you done?" Wesley asked, sagging against the wall.

"There's no time for that now, Wes," Angel said.

"Less time than you think," Dru said, seeing her new boys arriving. "You're late," she added as one snagged Wes.

"Sorry, we're new at this," Brian said as Faith tore Javier off Wes.

"Damn it, Spike, help me with Dru," Angel said, "Wes and Faith can handle the newbies."

Spike caught Dru, whirling her away from Little Brother. Angel went with them. Dru screeched, kicking Angel square in the balls as he came for her. He went to his knees with a moan.

"Good!" Little Brother snarled. "Kick him again. This is all your fault, Dad."

"Ooo, Little Brother's all wide awake and full of venom." Dru clapped as she side-stepped Spike.

"Sounds like whining to me, but what can you expect from a poor little rich boy?" Damien asked, burying his dark fingers in Little Brother's hair, yanking him up. "Did you ever have to work hard a day in your life, Irish?'

Dru loved Little Brother's wicked smile as he shoved Damien off him and snapped a branch off the tree, ornaments and all. She dug her finger into the hole in Spike's chest as he caught hold of her. Her thumb tore through the half-healed flesh and he grunted.

"You liked the way we played, Spike," she said as Damien advanced on her brother.

Spike smirked through the pain. "For a while, baby, but you left me in a right state."

"Only because you were a bad boy," she said sweetly.

"Talking about being a bad boy, what were you doing, Irish, when we died?" Damien asked. "Not that I should complain. This is great. And you're going to join us. Dru insists."

Little Brother shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Damien. I never wanted this to happen."

Dru's eyes widened as Little Brother stabbed the tree branch into his friend's chest. For a moment it stood there, silver bells jingling. Damien looked at Little Brother in shock.

"Guess Dru forgot to tell you the price of immortality was the ability to be killed by a sliver of wood to the heart," Little Brother said as his friend went to dust. "Rest easy, Damien."

Dru speared her high heel straight through Spike's foot and into the floor. She slipped free of the shoes and bolted for the door. Her Slayer was walking through the dust of her newest childe and Wes had sunk a bolt through her poet's back even as he was trying to get a feed. She batted Faith away and made for the door. She paused, seeing Little Brother react to Spike's demon visage. He went for him with the branch. Spike blocked it and Little Brother went under the block with his other hand. The punch tore Spike free of where his foot had been pinioned and into a wall, howling the whole way.

Dru ran for the steps. She heard Angel saying, "No, Faith, stay with Connor. Spike and I will handle Dru." She heard them running after her, their gaits unsteady, limping from the injury. She got to the stairwell and jumped over the edge. She hit graceful like a panther then was out the door, racing down the street. It was raining again; cold, whipping at her, mocking her.

She felt hands on her, yanking her back. She slammed into Daddy's chest and her darling Spike was in front of her, just out of range of her foot. Angel wrapped his arms around her. She sagged against him.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this," she moaned, her tears mixing with the rain. "I need my boys. We were supposed to be a family again."

"We can't go backwards, Dru," Angel said, stroking her hair. "You really didn't want to hurt Connor, did you?"

"He is so sweet."

"Yeah, and his punch feels like stepping in front of a train," Spike said, rubbing his swollen chin. "Did you even think of that, Peaches, when you wiped the kid's memory? If he got into a frat house fight, he'd be behind bars right now."

"I didn't think of anything," Angel admitted. "But you saw what he was like just now, Dru."

"He was glorious," she said, eyes wide with wonderment.

"And nearly impossible to control. He would have hated you for controlling him," Angel said. "It wouldn't have worked."

"It should have," she insisted with a pout.

"It couldn't," Angel said. "And now it ends."

Spike stared at her. Dru prepared for a fight. She looked up into Daddy's rain slicked face. No one moved.

"Damn it, I can't do it, Angel," Spike said. "I promised to kill her once for Buffy and I did everything I could to avoid following through with it."

"I set her and Darla on fire once and I was just as glad they got away," Angel admitted. "Do it."

"I can't. You kill her," Spike insisted.

"I made her, this is my fault." Angel touched her cheek. "I can't do it." He let her go. "Go Dru, get out of here. I don't just mean this spot, I mean get out of Los Angeles. Go far away where we won't find you and have to kill you."

"Go and be real quiet-like, luv," Spike added. "The moon's probably already told you there're hundreds of Slayers now. A girl has to be careful not to end up in an ashtray these days."

"You won't come with me?" Dru pleaded, sobbing.

"We can't," Angel said.

"Hang about, I've got something for you," Spike said and tore off for the building.

His older kin watched him go.

"Never come near Connor again, Dru," Angel said evenly but the threat apparent.

She cupped his face. "He'll bring you nothing but hardship, Daddy."

He smiled softly in the rain. "I don't need to see the future to know that, Dru."

"Little Brother loves you very much and it hurts him to think on it," she added.

Angel nodded. "That's good to know, well, the first part. I'll work on the latter."

"He would have had fun with me," Dru said. "He had such energy."

"Uh, energy?" Angel asked, dread in his eyes.

Dru smiled coyly, tucking her hands behind her like a little girl. "Daddy knows what I mean."

A horrified expression flitted across Angel's face. "I'm afraid I do."

"Here you go, luv," Spike said, jogging back. He handed her a plastic bag that was twisted tight. "Miss Edith. Keep the bag tight so she doesn't get wet." He handed it to her, kissing her cheek.

Dru looked at the men for a moment then realized they weren't going to change their minds. She saw the words in the rain drops; time to go. The game was over and she had lost. Sadly she walked away.

Chapter Eight

Connor sat on the floor amidst the dust of his friends, a death grip on the Christmas tree branch. He ignored Faith and Wes still staring at him. He didn't look up when Fred, Lorne and Gunn arrived, freed from the spell. He heard them talking to him but it seemed so far away. He stared at the pine needles, trying to shift through his fragmented memories. What was Connor son of two vampires and what was the lie, McGillycuddy?

He didn't look up until he scented his father returning with the other vampire, Spike. They were dripping wet when they came in. He saw the pain and horror in his father's eyes and it should have made him happy but it didn't. He felt the same way.

"Is it over?" Wesley took a step towards Angel then stopped seeing the look in his friend's eye.

"It's over," Angel said, weakly.

"Okay, anyone convinced by that raise your hand," Faith said. "You didn't kill her, did you?"

"You see, there was this big cock-up," Spike replied, looking at his boots.

"She got away," Angel said.

"You let her go," Connor corrected, trying to catch his father's eye. He wasn't happy when he actually succeeded. Angel looked small and somehow old.

"She got away," Angel insisted, glancing away.

"We are the walking wounded, after all, yobbo," Spike said.

Connor snorted. "You threw me away again, Dad."

The others parted to let Angel through. He came over to Connor but stopped a few feet away. "Never. I tried to help you."

"By making everyone forget me? By making my life a lie?" Connor snarled, wanting to get up and reduce his father's face to pulp. He couldn't even make his fingers let the branch go.

Angel knelt where he was. "You can't be saved by a lie. You told me that and maybe I should have listened. But I didn't have time to think. Do you remember our last time together, Connor, at the mall?"

Connor shook his head. "Not clearly, there's so much I can't grab onto. More of your work?"

"I can remember clearly now," Gunn offered, but Connor couldn't tell if that was meant to help him or accuse Angel.

"Me, too," Lorne said, heading for Angel's mini-bar.

"I think your brain is trying to protect you, Connor. You were going insane. I know what insanity is. Look at Dru. I did that to her," Angel confessed. "I know the signs."

"Nervous breakdowns can block memories," Fred said helpfully then blushed. "Sorry, I'll be quiet now."

"It's okay," Connor told her softly then turned his attention back to Angel. "I remember fighting with you but I don't remember why."

"You were trying to get me to kill you," Angel said. "My choices were to kill you or let you kill everyone in that mall. I couldn't do either. Instead, I thought maybe you were right. Maybe I was the reason you were so miserable. So I had Wolfram and Hart rewrite your life so you'd be normal, so you'd be happy. I gave you up and it killed me to do it but I would have done anything to give you a better life."

"Will they remember me? My parents?" Connor shook, feeling tears hot in his eyes. "I remember them."

Angel shook his head. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Connor. You don't know how sorry I am that nothing I do for you works. I try so hard but it always goes so wrong." Angel held out a hand to his son.

Connor shrank back, curling his knees up to his chest like a shield. Angel dropped his hand, defeated. Connor watched him cry. He looked so human it was heart wrenching. "I want my mom, my real mom. She came to me once."

"Isn't she dead?" Lorne asked.

Wes shrugged. "A ghost is hardly unheard of. Darla always said she shared part of Connor's soul. I don't see why she wouldn't visit him if she could."

"Your mother said you were the only good thing we ever did together and made me promise to tell you that, to tell you that she loved you but I forgot to do it," Angel said, wiping his face. "She did love you, so much so that she was willing to die for you. Both of us were willing to die. I would have given you to Fred in that alley and let Holtz kill me if he would only have left you live."

"Why didn't you?" Connor cocked his head to the side.

"Holtz put down his bow and let us go." Angel got up. "He wasn't a bad man, Connor but you know that."

"Where's Cordy?" Connor let go of his knees.

"We haven't found a way to help her yet," Angel admitted.

"She's here where the nurses can take care of her," Faith said, "And take it from someone who was in a coma for a long time, they're doing a good job with her. We all visit her every day if we can."

"I hoped she had woken up." Connor sighed.

"We all hope that and we're not giving up," Angel told him.

"What happens now?" Connor asked.

Angel offered him a hand but Connor wouldn't take it. "I want you to stay here, Connor. Things aren't easy, of course, not with all we have to do to keep the really bad things at bay but it's not as insane as it was with the Beast. We all have more time. Maybe now we can work with you, to help you find your place and this time it won't go so wrong. All I've ever wanted was for you to be my son and I know that I haven't always been a good father. I tried to hard too pretend you were never kidnaped. I tried to pick up right where I thought was appropriate for a teenaged boy. I never asked what you wanted, just tried to make you happy with what I thought you wanted. Please, just stay for now."

"She took so much blood these past few days, I'm not sure I can even stand up, let alone run off" Connor admitted. "Tomorrow's Christmas eveƒfor that, I'll stay. Maybe longer."

"I want it to be longer," Angel said. "If Connor McGillycuddy hasn't totally disappeared, you can go back to school if you want. Do you remember what you were studying?"

Connor nodded. "How did I learn all this stuff? I had no teaching before."

"Probably the same way I learned everything about the law," Gunn said, "Wolfram and Hart put it there."

"Another lie then," Connor said, miserably.

"Hey, I'm damn proud of these new abilities," Gunn huffed, his eyes slotting.

"Still a lie." Connor tried to get up. Faith helped him. "But I'm happy enough with that lie. It's better than being barely able to read. I want to go back to school onlyƒ"

"Yes?" Angel prompted.

"Do I have to stay pre-med?" Connor asked, his brow beetling.

A wide smile spread across Angel's face. "Not if you don't want to."

"Come on, kid, let's get you to bed. I'll put him in my room for the night," Faith said, sliding an arm around him.

"Sure, make me that offer when I'm too weak to move," Connor said.

"Hey, you had other chances or did those memories get fried by the spell?" Faith asked.

He rested his head against her shoulder. "I remember Griffith Park."

"So long as you remember how to cook, we'll do just fine," Faith said.

"That's still up here." Connor tapped his head. "I remember you kicking my ass when we were looking for the Beast and Angelus. That was so hot."

"Hot?" Angel asked in a worried tone.

"Trust me, that was all he could talk about all the way back to the Hyperion." Gunn shuddered.

"Uh-oh, my uncle's a little kinky. Must run in the family." Spike smirked and Angel slapped him in the back of the head.

"Uncle?" Connor looked over his shoulder at them.

"Dru was my vampiric daughter and Spike is her son. I guess he's an uncle. You can disown him if you'd like," Angel said, eagerly. "I won't protest."

"Anything you want to know about your old man, kid, I'll tell you. I know all the dirt," Spike said, lighting a cigarette.

"And on that note, I'll get you out of here before Angel is forced to kill Spike," Faith said, steering Connor toward the door.

"Why didn't you kill that vampire?" Connor asked.

"Long story."

---

Faith had gotten up late, having been hesitant to get into bed with Connor, despite the fact he was sleeping like the dead. It felt different now that she knew who he was, remembered him, knew he was Angel's kid. She had been annoyed by the brash kid back when they were fighting Angelus and the Beast but she hadn't been blind. She knew he had been attracted to her.

She had to admit to herself, she was still attracted to him. There was something sexy about being with someone who could go toe to toe with her. She wouldn't have to hold back with him like she had with Robin and her other lovers since becoming a Slayer. "Since Connor had only awoken once during the day, long enough to take a piss and dutifully eat some egg drop soup she had found leftover in her fridge, then crashed again, she had taken the time to talk to Angel while Spike babysat the kid.

She confessed being uncomfortable with someone so willing to kill his own father and Angel told her that he had ordered Connor to do it if the worst happened. It made her feel a little better about the way she felt about Connor. She didn't tell Angel much about how she felt but it seemed Angel was okay with her being with Connor now that he had time to get used to it. He seemed to think she could handle him and she could see where her strength would be an asset. Only she, Spike and Angel would stand a chance of stopping Connor if he freaked.

The day had passed pretty uneventfully. Connor was awake talking to Spike when she got back to her suite. She was surprised at it until she listened and realized Spike was telling a particularly embarrassing story.

"Blue?" Connor snickered.

"Blue with white spots, his entire body. Learned his lesson about pissing off a Yagyet demon. It took a month for the color to wear off," Spike said, blowing smoke. "Your mother wouldn't let him into bed with her. Every time she saw that splotchy blue willie coming at her, she died laughing and kicked his ass out."

"Nice story, Spike," Faith said.

"What?" He shot her a perturbed look. "The kid's eating it up."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Faith smiled. "Blue?"

"With white spots," Spike assured her.

Faith smothered a laugh. "They want us to get dressed and get up to Angel's suite. It's time for the Christmas party."

"Yeah, Fred will kill us all if we're late. Feel up to it, kid?"

Connor nodded, "I'm feeling better, a little at any rate. I don't have anything new to wear though. These clothes are kinda raggedy at this point."

"Oh, Gunn's people brought over your clothes, your skateboard and that damn cat is in here somewhere," Faith said, as Spike headed out.

"Cool. I have time to shower?"

"Yeah sure."

Faith changed while he showered. He looked very much revived when he came back out to the living room. He looked at her clingy forest green sweater and black pants and grinned.

"I like your outfit," he said.

"Thanks. And now that I remember your old hair, let me tell you this is a hell of a lot better," Faith said, pointing to his much shorter hair.

He ruffled it, blushing. "Yeah, I remember going to college and taking a look in the mirror and saying 'what the hell was I thinking.' Tracy liked it long or that's what they made me think. Guess I just didn't know any better."

Faith draped an arm around him as she locked her suite. "Well, this is a lot less girlie. Can you do me a favor, Connor?"

"I can try."

"Don't fight with Angel," she said solemnly.

His blue eyes clouded. "I'll try. I don't want to ruin everyone's holiday."

She sucked in a deep breath and decided to take a chance. "He loves you."

"I know that. I really do," Connor replied earnestly.

"Good. I don't want any fighting." Faith patted his hip. "This is my favorite holiday. I know most people think I don't care about much but I love Christmas. I love everything about it. I'm not much into the religious stuff but I can get behind peace and good-will. I used to look forward to it even as a kid, even though I'd know it'd suck because Mom, if she even stayed home, would be too drunk to remember to get me anything. And I never even knew my dad. I'd trade my parents for yours any day."

"That's a good thing about the spell, I've gotten to see how bad some people have it. It's given me perspectiveƒtaught me big words like perspective." Connor grinned wryly. "Father chose a day that he thought might be close to Christmas when we were in Quor-Toth and taught me to keep it holy. We even had gifts, usually a weapon we'd been working on all year or a piece of clothing but it was special."

"I'm glad that you have at least a few good memories. I can't imagine what it was like to grow up like that," Faith said as the elevator reached the top floor.

"I survived," Connor said as they went into Angel's suite. He froze and Faith looked at him, seeing fear. They were the last ones to arrive and all eyes were on them.

"It'll be okay," she whispered.

He nodded and went in. The room was lit with candles and the Christmas lights alone. Everyone was sitting around the tree except Angel who was in the galley kitchen. The room smelled wonderfully.

"I'm mulling wine," Angel said. "It's almost ready."

"Never had that," Faith said.

"My father used to make it," Angel said. "It was the one time of year he and I weren't at each other's throats."

"I remember you telling me he was a self-righteous bastard, back when Lorne made you guys think you were teenagers," Connor said, sitting on the couch between Faith and Fred.

"I remember you telling me so was yours," Angel volleyed back.

"He wasn't wrong," Spike said with a smirk.

"Maybe not. It seems to run in the family," Angel said.

"I just warned Connor to be nice, Angel. I'm telling you the same thing," Faith said, shaking a stern finger at him.

"What I mean to say is, I've been thinking a lot about me and my own father and how we didn't get along. I see the cycle repeating and I don't want it to," Angel said.

"Maybe it's just you that's hard to get along with. I've always found you so," Spike said.

"Spike, don't make me truss you up like Dru did," Faith said, her dark eyes hot.

"You can work from my photos," Angel offered jovially. "But it's true. Father and I didn't get a long and eventually he threw me out or I walked out given who you asked."

"What happened?" Connor asked.

"After your mother killed me," Angel said then paused seeing Connor's look. "Oh, sorry, you didn't know. She was the one who made me. Anyhow, I killed him, so I guess that's another cycle I'm eager to change. I can't change what I did but I'm seeing myself in him and you are very much like me at that age, Connor, whether or not you want to hear that."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised. I can't," Connor said, obviously unsettled by the idea.

"But you're at least here now and we can change things," Angel said, ladling out the wine into goblets.

"Without magic this time," Connor said.

"Agreed." Angel brought the tray of goblets over to the couch, letting Faith and Fred pluck off goblets. Connor hesitated. "Take some, Connor. You're Irish and a college student, you could probably drink us all under the table."

Grinning broadly, Connor took some and Angel carried the tray over to the men folk.

Fred looked over at Gunn who was still poking through a file. "Gunn, work time is over."

"Just finalizing a few things. This is your file, Connor. You'll be happy to know, you've been cleared of all suspicion and there's an all points bulletin for Drusilla," Gunn said.

"Pity the cop who finds her," Spike said, taking a drink of the mulled wine.

"There's paperwork here that wasn't before the spell ended. Now your parents are foster parents who took you in a year ago and gave you their name because you had been so traumatized by a crime, your own kidnaping, and the subsequent testimony over that you needed a new identity. Your college has been paid for by Wolfram and Hart, so you can go back if you want," Gunn said.

Connor bobbed his head. "I know, about my parents that is. I called them. Sorry, I couldn't help it. My sister broke her arm and leg and I had to see if she was okay and talk to her for Christmas. I know I probably should have waited until I knew what they thought I wasƒif I still even existed."

"It's okay, Connor," Angel said, patting his shoulder. "It's a good thing that you care."

"So I guess you can stay Connor McGillycuddy if you want," Gunn said.

Connor wrinkled his nose. "That's such a monster of a name. I guess I really can't go by Holtz either. Do I have another name?"

"Angel," Fred said.

Connor made a face. "What?"

"Connor Angel. Cordelia put Connor Angel on your birth certificate." Angel shuddered. "She made me Geraldo Angel. I mean, couldn't she think of anything Irish? What's up with that. I don't expect you to go by Connor Angel."

"That's probably a good thing because that would be a fight," Connor said.

"You have time to think about a name, if you're staying," Wes said. "Maybe the original family name might be appropriate."

"I'm staying," Connor said and Faith saw the smile that cut across Angel's face. She patted Connor's knee. "Or at least in the dorms once classes start."

"You're really a member of the Society of Conservation Biology?" Gunn asked, still looking at the file.

Connor nodded. "Guess so."

"And you're active in the on-campus movement to legalize pot?" Gunn persisted.

"Oh yeah," Connor replied.

Angel's brow wrinkled. "I don't want you smoking marijuana."

"You don't want him dressed in leather begging for another spanking from Faith but I'm willing to bet that's gonna happen, too." Spike grinned, showing all his teeth.

"Shut up, Spike," Angel said then turned to Connor. "Pot'll rot your brains."

"And given your parentage, you probably didn't start life with much in the way of brain power," Spike said.

Connor flipped him off. "I wanted to rush TKE this coming semester or at least I did. I'm not sure I belong in a fraternity."

"You need to go to England," Faith said. "You, Giles and Robin can sit around smoking pot and trading stories."

"Don't encourage him, Faith," Angel said. "But going to England wouldn't be so bad. Ireland would be better."

"Actually, I'd like that." Connor grinned. "Maybe I could study abroad."

"Plan later," Lorne said. "It's time for Christmas games."

Faith hadn't expected to have as much fun as they did. The one-upmanshipæ between Spike and Angel reached ridiculous and hilarious proportions. Gunn and Wesley showed real competitive edge in Pictionary. The highlight had to be Fred's ïTwister Moves' game. Faith and Connor proved to be the most flexible of the crew with Spike a close third. Angel wiped out trying to get to left foot blue, crushing both Spike and Connor at the same time. Fred got a good digital picture of that.

Faith looked at the gifts under the tree and decided to give herself one more. She took the ribbon off one package, plucked off a bow and grabbed some tinsel. She snagged Connor away from the darts death match that had sprung up between England versus Ireland.

"Hey!" Wes, Spike and Angel chorused.

Faith patted the bow on Connor's head and wrapped the ribbon around his wrists. He looked at her with huge blue eyes, his generous lips parted. She looped the tinsel around his neck. "Ireland forfeits the game," she said. "I know we aren't opening gifts until tomorrow but I'm opening this one early." She started dragging Connor, not that he was putting up a fight, towards the bedroom.

"Oh no!" Angel said. "No, no no."

"He's old enough to say yes, Angel," Faith said.

"What? No, I don't care about that. You're not going in my bedroom. My bed is off limits to everyone," Angel said, going back to his desk. "That especially means you two and Spike." He fished out some keys and took one off the ring. He flung it to Faith. "That's the executive suite. It has a full bar, a Jacuzzi, the works. Knock yourself out."

"Thanks!" Faith said, heading for the door, Connor in tow.

"Connor, Faith, happy Christmas," Angel called.

---

"I wish you could see him too, Buffy. I'm glad you think he looks cute in pictures," Angel said into the phone, feeling close to her at the moment as he paged through the digital pictures she had emailed him. "He's special. Oh, here come he and Faith now." Angel waved to the young couple as they wandered into the suite. Connor looked thoroughly exhausted. "You do? Sure."æ Angel got up and handed Connor the phone. "This is Buffy. She's a very good friend of mine and another Slayer. She'd like to talk to you."

"Okay." The boy took the phone and flopped down on the couch.

Angel went into his kitchen and took down a huge bowl. Faith followed him, watching as he started scrambling eggs.

"You cook?" she asked.

"I'm told I make some mean omelets," Angel said. "Everyone will be up here for breakfast."

"You're okay with last night?" Faith asked cautiously.

"I was a little unsure at first but you two might be good for one another. You have a lot in common, good and bad. I think you can help each other," Angel said.

"Good. Because I was thinking, if it was okay with you, maybe I could stay here. I'm no good at training the new Slayers. They think I'm a bad influence so maybe I could stay here and help you fight the good fight," Faith said.

Angel smiled, liking the idea immensely. "I would love that. I could use the help. Oh, hey Fred, can you send all the digital pictures to England for me," he called, seeing her coming in with Spike. He glanced over to the couch where his son was still talking to Buffy, looking barely awake. "Besides it looks like you mellowed Connor right out."

"I did my best." Faith grinned at him.

"He needs mellowing. Probably will need a few good ass kickings, tooƒbut he might enjoy that too much." Angel's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, he'd love it." Faith looked out the window. "We need snow."

"Go look at the pictures. There's a great one of Buffy and Willow burying Xander in the snow," Angel said.

Faith laughed as Connor came over to them skating around Lorne, Wes and Gunn who arrived in a lump. He handed the phone to her. "Buffy wants to speak to you, Faith."

"Thanks, blue eyes."

As Faith wandered off with the phone, Connor took her place. "You cook?"

"I know, I know. It's weird but yes, I cook. I generally don't eat it but I cook. Do you like eggs?" Angel asked. Connor nodded then put his head down on the table wearily. Angel patted his shoulder. "Try not to let her break you, son. No matter how much fun it might be."

Connor laughed but didn't raise his head. Angel looked over the room. All of the most important people in his life were here, even if it was only on the phone and the computer screen. It was the happiest holiday he could ever remember having.

---

Dru saw the signs for Las Vegas looming ahead of her. She had stolen one of Daddy's cars with its special glass. Her Spike had taught her to drive once a long time ago. She wasn't good at it but she could do it some, enough to handle it on the long open stretches. The bright lights called to her. She and Miss Edith were going to the pyramid for Christmas.

Her plans might have failed this time but the twinkling lights told her there would be other nights. All she had to do was be patient. There would be more chances to be a family.

"Silent night," Dru crooned as she drove past the city limits, defeat behind her and a future looming bright in her mind's eye.

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