cornerofmadness

And here's a long set of drabbles from the Angel crew

Angel – S 3 Diaper Duty

“Whoa, Connor, how can you turn formula into this?” Angel’s eyes watered as he tossed the soiled diaper into the garbage. He wasn’t even breathing and the stench was burning his sensitive nose.

Connor unhelpfully kicked and squealed as Angel tried to wipe his backside clean. No one told him being a father would be like this. Things that defied logic in the diapers, noises at decibels things three times his son’s size wouldn’t be capable of emitting, the non stop crying. It didn’t matter, he loved being a father and he’d be a better one than his own father.

Gunn – S5 Thoughts of Dad

Gunn tied on his silk tie then gave his appearance a critical once over in the mirror. There were days he barely recognized himself. He had been given what he asked for, superior intelligence but it felt hollow. The people he defended weren’t worthy. The woman he wanted to impress barely noticed him.

Would his father recognize him? Would he be proud? His dad worked as a janitor late nights in office buildings like this one until he was gunned down by accident in a drive-by. Gunn missed him. “Look at your boy now, Dad. Am I what you wanted?”

Kate – S 2 Feelings of Betrayal

Her dad was her hero. Ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to be a cop just like him. He hadn’t quite liked the idea but she knew he was proud of her deep down. He took the time to turn her into the best detective she could be. He was her world.

How could he turn out to be a crooked cop? How could he be gone? Kate slugged back the Irish whiskey, swearing that she’d kill all the vampires that slaughtered him. Angel included, if need be. “Daddy, how could you betray me like this?”

Wes – S5 Shadowed Life

Father, how could one word bring up so many damn emotions? Wes let the scotch burn its smoky trail down his throat, hearing the ringing of the gun in his ears. Did Fred still believe he knew it was a robot? Did she guess the truth?

What he prayed she never knew was that it felt so good to kill his father. The man had made him feel little and afraid his whole life. Roger destroyed him with words of disappointment, with sharp blows to him and his mother. He would never escape his father’s shadow not matter what he accomplished.

Doyle – S 1 Demonic Heritage

Doyle couldn’t help but wonder about his father. His mother never spoke much about him and he was too cowardly to ask. Were they in love? How did a human even manage intimacy with a Brachen demon? Doyle shuddered at the thought. Human kids thought the idea of their parents having sex was gross, ha! Try it with his folk.

Was his father evil? Brachens were built for the fight but surely his mother couldn’t love something evil. What gifts from his father lurked in his half demon heart? What would he say if he should ever meet the man?

Fred – S 5 Appreciation

Fred tucked a letter into an envelope. Would her Dad think she was having a nervous breakdown? Fred hadn’t ever put into words what she felt about her parents but being here had taught her how special her average every day family had been. Charles who didn’t know his father. Cordy whose dad cared more for money that her. Poor Wes who survived abuse he could barely hint at.

She was lucky to have such a sweet father. Fred promised him to visit next Father’s day. She’d post the letter once she was done investigating the thing Knox had for her.

Jasmine – S4 Fooling Father

Father, what a simple word and yet it had so much power. Whenever the pathetic creature that was her catalyst into this world, started asking impertinent questions, all she had to do was substitute that word for ‘Connor’ and he was mollified. If he slipped her mental control and started thinking for himself, a little reminder that he was her father brought him to heel.

Once this world was hers, Jasmine knew she would no longer need Connor. The only thing that disturbed her was there was a part of him she couldn’t touch. Well, surely that was insignificant.

Holtz – Unexpected

Holtz wanted to hold on to his hate, forging it into a blade. The creature in his care came from the monsters that slaughtered his family. Because of them he would never touch his wife again, never see his son grow up. Because of them he had to put his precious daughter into the light.

“Da!” Steven presented him with the mangled blossoms he had picked with his little hands.

“Thank you, Steven.”

How could a child of monsters be so innocent? The child adored him. Looking into the child’s blue eyes Holtz felt something he never expected; fatherly love.

And a hefty set of Connor drabbles since in a series that was riff with Daddy Issues, Connor was king.

Connor – in Quor-Toth – For Father

Steven dabbed a damp cloth on his father’s hot forehead. The demon had left a toxin behind in the wounds that dotted Holtz’s face. He had to get his father out of this place. Father wanted that so Steven could destroy the vampires that gave him life. Steven wanted that too, anything to please Father. But more importantly, he didn’t know how much longer his father could survive in this place. He had to get his father to safety. The slukhs knew the way and he would torture them until they told. He loved his father too much not to.

Connor - Father’s Sacrifice

The red spray in the dust of that terrible place haunted Connor, his father’s bloodshed to save him. The look in Angel’s eyes as he welded him into the coffin tore at his resolve. He wouldn’t feel bad. Angel was a monster. He got what he deserved.

Blood in the air, a sacrifice of pain. What if Holtz was wrong? What if it hadn’t been to trick him? What if Angel really did love him? No, vampires were soul less creatures. They couldn’t love. Angel had murdered the only person who had ever loved him. Connor fought to convince himself.

Connor – during NFA Taking a Stand

“We’ll meet at my dorm if we get separated,” Connor told Lawrence Reilly as he fought to get his father out of the city. He knew it was going to be bad and even though he had no honest ties to this family, he couldn’t let them get killed.

“Okay, son.” His ersatz father hugged him tight and drove off with his true family.

These people loved him but not perfectly, not since he had been run down by that van. Connor wheeled around and headed back to the battle where his real father needed him whether he knew it or not.

Connor – Post Origins - His Fathers’ Son

Holtz had taught him the meaning of goodness and twisted his heart until he couldn’t do anything but hate. Angel’s passive-aggressiveness confused him. One minute his love for his son was overwhelming and the next he was crushing Connor’s head into a wall, each and every time they spoke. But he wanted the same thing as Holtz, the love of his son. Even Reilly had fought to keep his strange son safe. He was what his fathers had made him, whatever the hell that was. One day maybe he’d love them back. First he needed to learn to love himself.

Connor/Angel - Post NFA Father’s Day

He had too many fathers and managed to mess it up with all of them. He never could figure out what his defect was but he had worked hard to change his life. Black Thorn and the battles that came after it had changed him and he was about to prove it. He handed the wrapped present to Angel. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.”

Angel was crying before he even got the gift open. Once he had the artist supplies revealed, the vampire was bawling.

“If I knew you were going to embarrass me…” Connor grinned.

Angel crushed him in a bear hug.

Connor/Angel – Father’s Song
Angel thought about the artist supplies up in his hotel room and the look of love in his son’s eyes when Connor gave him the father’s day gift. He had been waiting for so long to see that look, to feel the warmth of it. He only hoped Connor understood the sacrifice he was about to make for him.

Lorne patted his shoulder, looking out over the crowd in his new Vegas club. “Try not to scare them, Angel-cakes.”

Angel fumbled the song but he didn’t care. “<I>Daddies don't just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, amen </I>

Connor wept.

* the lyrics are from George Strait’s, <I> Love Without End, Amen. </I> and weren’t included in the word count

As always x-posted to open_on_sunday