Rewrite Drabbles

[cornerofmadness]

Ooo what an interesting drabble challenge. I could be here for weeks writing everything I'd like to rewrite but I'll stop right here, especially since I rewrote half of Angel S4 (I'll be interested to see who else chose the same scenes as I did and how they handled it)

Buffy/Xander - S2 in Becoming

"Willow....uh, she told me to tell you..." Xander trailed off hating himself for what he was going to do to Buffy. It was the right thing to do. Angel deserved what he got.

"Tell me what?"

Xander looked at the sadness in his friend’s eyes. He drank it in, felt it. He had wanted her to love him once, still did, Cordelia aside. What would happen to her if she killed Angel? Could she live with it? Could he live with himself? Yes probably, and that scared him more. "Willow is trying the spell again. She’s sure it’ll work."

Ensemble - S 6 in Bargining

"Where is it?" Willow asked in a panic. Sweat popped out on her skin.

"What’s wrong?" Xander channeled her fear. Anya took his hand firmly.

"The urn of Osiris is gone." Willow’s voice was tight.

"How could that be?" Tara looked almost relieved.

"Because I took it."

The quartet whirled around to look at Giles standing in the doorway.

"I thought you left," Anya said.

"As I wanted you to. There’ll be no spell. Let Buffy rest. She’s earned it," Giles said.

"But her soul could be trapped," Willow argued.

Giles smiled softly. "How could she be anywhere but in heaven?"

Angel/Connor - S4 in "Ground State."

Angel walked away from Lilah, the sting of her words accusing him of being a bad father, hurt. He was doing the right thing. Connor needed to see that what he had done was wrong.

Angel glanced back and the serendipitous nature of epiphanies slapped him hard in the face. Connor had survived in hell with no one but Holtz. He didn’t need soft beds. A roof over his head and packaged food were foreign to him. This might even seem closer to home to him. Angel turned back. He ignored the stink of Connor’s unwashed body. "Come home, son."

Angel/Connor - Habeas Corpses

"Dad?"

Angel ignored the traitorous boy who loosely wore the label of ‘his son.’ What did you expect? You’re the one who let Cordelia live with the boy, knowing they were sharing a bed.

Angel turned and saw the pain and fear in Connor’s blue eyes. This was his chance to actually act like a dad and not a jealous, wounded boyfriend. Angel grabbed Connor’s arm and yanked him into the office. "Yeah?"

"The demon appeared where I was born and now Cordy doesn’t want me. What if it’s all my fault?"

Suddenly the only thing that mattered was his son’s pain.

Connor- Orpheus

Connor left Cordelia in her room, his back still stinging from where it had kissed the wall. He knew so little about women that he didn’t know what to make of her outburst. Was he attracted to Faith? A little.

Mulling that he found Fred, Lorne and Wes in the room with Faith. He knew they wouldn’t have the belief that he and Cordelia were ‘special.’ As much as he liked hearing it, he wasn’t sure he could believe it. Maybe they needed to know the spell wasn’t working.

"Guys, Cordelia just threw me down and the spell didn’t stop her."

Angel/Connor - Players

‘How scary it is,’ his son’s words haunted him. Angel had ignored it at first, let his son just walk away. Even his own bastard of a dad wouldn’t have done that to him. Angel hammered out his plan with the others to expose just what was wrong with Cordy but they had excluded Connor from the plan.

He still didn’t trust Connor enough to tell him. He could just keep Connor with him under some pretense and let him see for himself. Angel found him, putting a gentle hand on Connor’s shoulder. "What can I do to make you less afraid?"

 

Angel/Connor Peace Out

Angel stumbled to a stop, in pain. How horrible was the blank look in Connor’s eyes as Jasmine slipped off the bloodied end of his arm and crumpled like a wilted flower? No sadness or anger was left behind those blue eyes. His son was hollowed out and Angel knew that feeling well. Once it had taken a snowstorm in southern California to save him from the emptiness.

He fought past the pain. He had endured worse after all. His son wouldn’t be alone with this, not if he could help it. He grabbed the boy, holding him tight.

Angel/Connor - Home

"Prove it."

Angel’s first thoughts were of Lilah’s offer to help remake his son. Just bring him in and Wolfram and Hart would. But how did they know Connor was here and how had he learned to make bombs, subdue a few dozen people unarmed and carry in an unconscious woman without being stopped. Easy, he had help, he was bait in Lilah’s trap.

He buried the knife in the flooring, grabbing up his bleeding, fractured son. "Me and you, we’re going away from here, Connor, go some place green and growing where you can heal. You are so loved."

As always X-Posted to open_on_sunday

Comments

[southernbangel.livejournal.com]

Oh Dana, these are all wonderful, but I especially loved, and was moved by, the Habeas Corpus drabble and the Home drabble. *sniffles*

You did a great job on these. I love your Angel/Connor father-son interaction.

All Good

[keith5by5.livejournal.com]

But I loved the Angel\Connor ones.

Re: All Good

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thank you. Exploring their relationship has become something of a passion for me and there were just so many missed opportunities by both of them

Re: All Good

[keith5by5.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. You can fully understand Holtz's hatred of Angel, but Connor was an innocent victim.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. I'm so glad you liked them. You know how I like to play with the relationship, even if I'm having Connor acting like a jerk.

Re: All Good

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, like I've said before, dismissing Connor as a mere brat really doesn't take into account how much psychological scarring he has. I have a bit of sympathy for all three men.

Re: All Good

[keith5by5.livejournal.com]

Yeah, anyone who's spent their childhood in hell's bound to have issues.

I had considerable sympathy with Holtz, after all Angel had the face of the demon who'd killed his family. I lost my sympathy for him when his revenge took in an innocent kid.

Re: All Good

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Just a few issues...okay Connor has more issues than Rollingstone.

Yeah I feel exactly the same way about Holtz. I felt for him up until he had to chose between revenge and a son that loved him and he chose revenge.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Just finished your CYA story and I loved it. Great plot as always. The power of the key reminded me a little of the One Ring with its powerful pull on people and its a clever explanation as to why the monks rehid the power in the form a of a girl - the overwhelming effect on people seems to be mitigated that way.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.Hmm never thought about the Dawn parallel. good point.

[bashipforever.livejournal.com]

wonderful job on all of these Dana, as always. I'm not really sure which was my favorite honestly. they were really great

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. I think a lot of people are feeling the same way about this set.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Dude, I like your versions of key scenes better than canon!

My favorite is Bargaining. There are other ways Joss could have brought Buffy back, IMO. The scene as you wrote it is exactly what I wish had occurred. (and, did I spell, "occurred" correctly? It's late....) ;-)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm glad to hear it. In most cases I do too. And yeah Bargaining bothered the hell out of me (like them not digging her up to see if it worked)

As for spelling, I'm dyslexic. Thank god for spellchecker.

[makd.livejournal.com]

(like them not digging her up to see if it worked)

Right there with you, Scooter. MN really missed the mark in S6 - on all counts. She missed the opportunity to do The Spuffy better; she missed the opportunity to have Spike's seeking a soul based on a more credible event; she missed the opportunity to show Willow as power-addict, rather than magic-addict; she missed the opportunity to show Spike's continuing development back toward "the good man" he was in life by showing his continuing relationship with Dawn.

I've said this so often it hurts: I never thought the AR was credible. Now, if he'd gone for a soul after trying to turn Buffy --- or suck blood from her? THAT I'd believe. But, Buffy as weak, as unable to fight back? Never - only in the Crucimentum would I believe it.

And the Scoobies? They became, by Season 6, as insular as the Thirtysomething gang!

Meh....off to work; have a great day. It's a beautiful spring day here on LI - reminds me why I love the East.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Scans your assessment, yep, 100% agreement. I might not have found Spuffy so ugh if it had been done better.

And I'm with you on Spring too. That was the depressing part of living in FL, no real seasonal changes (and super wet, dried out and brown, on fire, and hurricane, are not seasons no matter what Floridians think)