Categories > TV > Angel > Never Will You Be Alone
Never Will You Be Alone
Chapter Nineteen-Grief
To say that Connor was angry was an understatement. He didn't know who he was more angry at Dawn or his father. Connor stared down at his girlfriend's sleeping form and sank down onto the bed. He buried his face into his hands.
Never Will You Be Alone
Buffy knew that something was up when the phone didn't ring. She was pacing back and forth on the carpet. 'She said that she would call at night around nine. It's past nine.' She glanced at the clock on the wall. 'It's eleven-thirty. The phone still hasn't rang..' Worry was gnawing at her stomach. Finally, the phone rang.
"Why haven't you-" Buffy started.
"Buffy, it's Cordelia." Cordelia cut off Buffy rant. Buffy sank against the wall.
"Is Dawn alright?" Her voice sounded small and weak. The question brought Spike into the room.
"She's lost a lot of blood..." Cordelia seemed reluctant to depart the next piece of information. A woosh of air indicated her sigh. "Connor says that Angel was posioned by the demon they faced tonight." Buffy's blood ran cold.
'No. No. No...' Buffy chanted mentally, fearing the worst. Spike's body tensed as he caught the implications of the ex-cheerleader's words. Unlike Buffy, he wasn't thinking of Angel. He was thinking of the Bit.
"Please tell me she didn't..." Buffy whispered. She could feel Spike's worried and slightly angry eyes on her. He could hear every word.
"Dawn...forced him to drink from her. Connor said that when they reached him he was too weak to fight her suggestion off. He was too weak to fight her off." Buffy placed her hand over her heart as she listened to Cordelia. "We don't know how much he took. She seemed fine walking into the hotel and laying him on the couch. She fainted right after they laid him down." There was a pause on the other line. "Connor's only been out once to see if his father's still awake."
Never Will You Be Alone
Cordelia held the phone in an iron grip. She glanced toward the stairs and then back to Angel. She had stayed by his side and visited Dawn's room twice. Her poor son looked worse for wear each time she saw him. Cordelia knew that he was blaming himself. 'Once this conversation with Buffy is over,' she decided, 'I'm going to have a talk with him.'
"What concerns us, Buffy, is why she thought her blood would stop the toxins." Cordelia sighed. "As far as we know her blood is human." The woman missed Angel shaking his head. Fred and Gunn tilted their own.
"It tasted too good..." Angel croaked. "Addicting..just like Wesley warned.." He was vaguely aware of the crunch of wood upstairs.
Connor removed his shaking, bleeding hand from the wall. He could see clear to the other side and into the empty, dark room. His chest heaved in his anger. Rationality was losing to the power of his rage.
"He's a good man. He's a good man! That good man almost drained you dry!" Connor ranted. His voice became more powerful near the end. Once more, his fist made another small window into the dark room.
Angel bowed his head as he listened to his son's rage.
"I should have been able to stop...I wanted too, but he didn't." Angel buried his head into his hands and tugged at his hair in the pass.
"It's not," Buffy disagreed. Cordelia's eyes widened slightly at the admission before putting the phone on speaker. Gunn and Fred were still sitting on the couch and Cordelia was sure that Connor could hear what was being said from upstairs. "Dawn is the Key, as I'm sure you know. It's in her blood. Aside from that, she has the blood of a Slayer in her." Silence fell over the room as they considered the information. "The last time Angel was posioned, he nearly drained me completely.."
Buffy's whispered admission reached Connor's ears. 'Nearly drained dry...' He thought as he stared down at her peaceful face. He reached forward and ran his finger down her warm cheek. Raw anger at her decision filled him. 'She knew what was at stake!' He realized. With an aggravated roar he ripped the vase up from the nightstand and hurled it out the open door. It crashed against the opposite wall. The satsifying shatter did nothing to curb his anger.
Angel sighed as his son destroyed things in Dawn's room. 'Or should I say their room?' Angel wondered. It was common knowledge to the vampire and Cordelia that Dawn and Connor had taken to sharing beds. 'Now only one is in that bed. The other is so angry he's destroying their room...all because of me..' Angel moved to lift his mug to his mouth only to find it empty. Gunn extended another warm mug of blood to him. Angel smiled and took it from his friend. He looked upward to see Cordelia staring at him while she was on the phone.
"Yes, he's awake." Buffy asked to speak to him. Her tone was vicious and frightened. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea." Another pause. Buffy's defeated sigh came over the line.
"Can you have him call me when he feels better?" Buffy asked. Cordelia nodded.
"Will do." That was their goodbye. Cordelia hung up and rushed upstairs. Angel furrowed his brow at her sudden departure. Fred bit into her bottom lip as she stared at her friend.
"Dawn still hasn't woke up..." She whispered what he already knew. "Connor's with her right now. He's blaming himself, Angel....He's really, really angry." Angel bowed his head. "On the ups, we found out something really cool." Angel didn't look up. "Dawn heals just as fast as Buffy."
Cordelia leaned against the door frame and watched her son pace harder. Angel being awake only increased his anger.
"Why hasn't she woke up yet?" He demanded of Cordelia. The older woman sighed and walked further into the room.
"I don't know, Connor." She sat down on the side of the bed and gently pushed Dawn's fallen hair out of her face. "She will wake up, son." Connor stopped.
"Why do you call me that?" He asked. "Son?" Cordelia sighed.
"I'm not your birth mother, I know that." Cordelia stood and put her hands on his shoulders. "But it's not blood that makes me a mother, it's in here." She touched his chest lightly. "It's the feeling. I think of you as my son because I took care of you. I bonded with you. I love you." Cordelia gasped lightly as Connor pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and laid her own hands on his back. "And I don't like to see you hurting like this.." She ran her hand through his hair.
"Thank you." Cordelia ran soothing circles on his back. She understood. 'He can't say it yet, because he doesn't know me. He doesn't feel that for me. Not yet anyway..' Throughout the mother and son bonding moment, Dawn still lay sleeping and Angel still sat in grief downstairs. She could feel the warm of his tears as they soaked into her shirt. 'My poor baby...' She thought.
Angel closed his eyes as the sound of his son's tears reached him. The smell of the salt from them nearly sickened him when he knew that he was the cause. Dawn was laying in that bed because of him. Because he couldn't find the restraint in him to stop sooner. 'Dawn is so much more like Buffy than either of them realize. Both nearly gave their lives so that I could live. Buffy loved me. I know why she did it. But Dawn? She loves my son. So why?' Angel knew. Theories bounced around uselessly in his head as his grip tightened on the mug in his hands. None of his questions would be answered until Dawn woke up.
Chapter Nineteen-Grief
To say that Connor was angry was an understatement. He didn't know who he was more angry at Dawn or his father. Connor stared down at his girlfriend's sleeping form and sank down onto the bed. He buried his face into his hands.
Never Will You Be Alone
Buffy knew that something was up when the phone didn't ring. She was pacing back and forth on the carpet. 'She said that she would call at night around nine. It's past nine.' She glanced at the clock on the wall. 'It's eleven-thirty. The phone still hasn't rang..' Worry was gnawing at her stomach. Finally, the phone rang.
"Why haven't you-" Buffy started.
"Buffy, it's Cordelia." Cordelia cut off Buffy rant. Buffy sank against the wall.
"Is Dawn alright?" Her voice sounded small and weak. The question brought Spike into the room.
"She's lost a lot of blood..." Cordelia seemed reluctant to depart the next piece of information. A woosh of air indicated her sigh. "Connor says that Angel was posioned by the demon they faced tonight." Buffy's blood ran cold.
'No. No. No...' Buffy chanted mentally, fearing the worst. Spike's body tensed as he caught the implications of the ex-cheerleader's words. Unlike Buffy, he wasn't thinking of Angel. He was thinking of the Bit.
"Please tell me she didn't..." Buffy whispered. She could feel Spike's worried and slightly angry eyes on her. He could hear every word.
"Dawn...forced him to drink from her. Connor said that when they reached him he was too weak to fight her suggestion off. He was too weak to fight her off." Buffy placed her hand over her heart as she listened to Cordelia. "We don't know how much he took. She seemed fine walking into the hotel and laying him on the couch. She fainted right after they laid him down." There was a pause on the other line. "Connor's only been out once to see if his father's still awake."
Never Will You Be Alone
Cordelia held the phone in an iron grip. She glanced toward the stairs and then back to Angel. She had stayed by his side and visited Dawn's room twice. Her poor son looked worse for wear each time she saw him. Cordelia knew that he was blaming himself. 'Once this conversation with Buffy is over,' she decided, 'I'm going to have a talk with him.'
"What concerns us, Buffy, is why she thought her blood would stop the toxins." Cordelia sighed. "As far as we know her blood is human." The woman missed Angel shaking his head. Fred and Gunn tilted their own.
"It tasted too good..." Angel croaked. "Addicting..just like Wesley warned.." He was vaguely aware of the crunch of wood upstairs.
Connor removed his shaking, bleeding hand from the wall. He could see clear to the other side and into the empty, dark room. His chest heaved in his anger. Rationality was losing to the power of his rage.
"He's a good man. He's a good man! That good man almost drained you dry!" Connor ranted. His voice became more powerful near the end. Once more, his fist made another small window into the dark room.
Angel bowed his head as he listened to his son's rage.
"I should have been able to stop...I wanted too, but he didn't." Angel buried his head into his hands and tugged at his hair in the pass.
"It's not," Buffy disagreed. Cordelia's eyes widened slightly at the admission before putting the phone on speaker. Gunn and Fred were still sitting on the couch and Cordelia was sure that Connor could hear what was being said from upstairs. "Dawn is the Key, as I'm sure you know. It's in her blood. Aside from that, she has the blood of a Slayer in her." Silence fell over the room as they considered the information. "The last time Angel was posioned, he nearly drained me completely.."
Buffy's whispered admission reached Connor's ears. 'Nearly drained dry...' He thought as he stared down at her peaceful face. He reached forward and ran his finger down her warm cheek. Raw anger at her decision filled him. 'She knew what was at stake!' He realized. With an aggravated roar he ripped the vase up from the nightstand and hurled it out the open door. It crashed against the opposite wall. The satsifying shatter did nothing to curb his anger.
Angel sighed as his son destroyed things in Dawn's room. 'Or should I say their room?' Angel wondered. It was common knowledge to the vampire and Cordelia that Dawn and Connor had taken to sharing beds. 'Now only one is in that bed. The other is so angry he's destroying their room...all because of me..' Angel moved to lift his mug to his mouth only to find it empty. Gunn extended another warm mug of blood to him. Angel smiled and took it from his friend. He looked upward to see Cordelia staring at him while she was on the phone.
"Yes, he's awake." Buffy asked to speak to him. Her tone was vicious and frightened. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea." Another pause. Buffy's defeated sigh came over the line.
"Can you have him call me when he feels better?" Buffy asked. Cordelia nodded.
"Will do." That was their goodbye. Cordelia hung up and rushed upstairs. Angel furrowed his brow at her sudden departure. Fred bit into her bottom lip as she stared at her friend.
"Dawn still hasn't woke up..." She whispered what he already knew. "Connor's with her right now. He's blaming himself, Angel....He's really, really angry." Angel bowed his head. "On the ups, we found out something really cool." Angel didn't look up. "Dawn heals just as fast as Buffy."
Cordelia leaned against the door frame and watched her son pace harder. Angel being awake only increased his anger.
"Why hasn't she woke up yet?" He demanded of Cordelia. The older woman sighed and walked further into the room.
"I don't know, Connor." She sat down on the side of the bed and gently pushed Dawn's fallen hair out of her face. "She will wake up, son." Connor stopped.
"Why do you call me that?" He asked. "Son?" Cordelia sighed.
"I'm not your birth mother, I know that." Cordelia stood and put her hands on his shoulders. "But it's not blood that makes me a mother, it's in here." She touched his chest lightly. "It's the feeling. I think of you as my son because I took care of you. I bonded with you. I love you." Cordelia gasped lightly as Connor pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and laid her own hands on his back. "And I don't like to see you hurting like this.." She ran her hand through his hair.
"Thank you." Cordelia ran soothing circles on his back. She understood. 'He can't say it yet, because he doesn't know me. He doesn't feel that for me. Not yet anyway..' Throughout the mother and son bonding moment, Dawn still lay sleeping and Angel still sat in grief downstairs. She could feel the warm of his tears as they soaked into her shirt. 'My poor baby...' She thought.
Angel closed his eyes as the sound of his son's tears reached him. The smell of the salt from them nearly sickened him when he knew that he was the cause. Dawn was laying in that bed because of him. Because he couldn't find the restraint in him to stop sooner. 'Dawn is so much more like Buffy than either of them realize. Both nearly gave their lives so that I could live. Buffy loved me. I know why she did it. But Dawn? She loves my son. So why?' Angel knew. Theories bounced around uselessly in his head as his grip tightened on the mug in his hands. None of his questions would be answered until Dawn woke up.
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