Hope

Title: Hope (2/?)

Author: QueenC

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Angel(us)/Cordelia; Dawn/Connor; Willow/Spike

Disclaimer: Do I *look* like Joss Whedon to you?

Distribution: Anyone I send it to. If anyone else wants it, just let me know!

Spoilers: Anything and everything.

Summary: AU. Cordelia returns to Sunnydale to face her past, bringing with her a surprise no one expects.

Authors Notes: Ok. This story is completely AU after Season Two. The premise to it is that Cordelia and Angelus had a relationship. Once he was re-cursed, she left town, never telling anyone where she was going. Hence, she is *not* in LA working with Angel. She never even graduated high school. Also, as in all my fics, Angelus is Spike's sire. I don't care what kinds of drugs Joss is on. Words in *'s are emphasized. Words in 's are thoughts. Words in ~'s are flashbacks.


******

Conner stared at the food sitting on the plate in front of him, his stomach turning at the thought of putting that into his mouth. It wasn't that he didn't eat breakfast. Actually, growing up, Holtz had always insisted upon him starting every day with a meal. No, the problem that he was currently facing was the fact that, for all of her wonderful talents, Ariana was possibly the worst cook ever.

The young man poked at the grease-laden specimen with his fork, a part of him expecting it to actually leap from his plate at any moment.

"At least then I wouldn't have to eat it," he muttered, jumping slightly when he heard the sharp laugh from the doorway.

He looked up, his gaze landing on the amused face of his father, who was leaning against the doorway, smiling brightly. Conner shrugged, embarrassment consuming him. Ariana was his father's closest friend.

Angel shook his head, walking further into the makeshift kitchen. He walked up to his son, his pale face becoming even whiter as he looked at the concoction.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at his child.

Conner shrugged. "I''m not really sure. Maybe some new type of demon?" he half joked.

Angel laughed once more, his brown eyes shining. He stuck his hand in his pocket, pulled out some money and handed it to the boy. "Here. Go pick up some donuts. Or, eggs. Or," he took another glance at the stuff on the table, "Anything besides that.”

Conner smiled, standing up so quickly he nearly tipped the chair over. He shoved the money into his pocket and made a beeline for the door. However, before he could make his retreat, he stopped, a thought occurring to him.

"Why are you awake? You shouldn't be up for another five hours, at least," he questioned, eyeing the vampire with concern.

Angel sighed unnecessarily, pulling a blood bag from the mini fridge and sticking it in the microwave. "I couldn't sleep. Thought I would try feeding, then give it another go," he answered, not meeting Conner's eyes.

The prophecy come to life nodded, wrestling with the next question that was plaguing him.

"Just say it, son," Angel commented, finally looking at him.

"Are you alright? I mean, after last night," he sighed. "I''m not very good at these sort of things," he mumbled.

Angel smiled ruefully. "That's alright. Neither am I. And, yes, I'm fine."

Conner nodded. He nearly opted to leave the final, burning question he had unasked. However, he simply couldn't.

"Who are they from?"

Four simple words, yet, they spoke volumes. Angel paused, unsure what to say. He couldn't very well tell him that the letters that arrived like clockwork every month were from a demon he had hired to track down Angelus' mate. No, that would go over about as well as a lead balloon. So, he did the one thing that he knew he was good at. He was as vague as possible.

"An associate. He's searching for an old friend of mine."

Conner knew that his father wasn't telling him everything. However, he also knew not to press the issue.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," he stated, heading through the lobby.

Just as his hand touched the doorknob, he heard Ariana's voice ring out from her perch at the counter.

"Don't you dare leave this hotel young man!"

He froze, looking very much like a deer in headlights as he turned back to face the Seer.

She was walking towards him, her face unreadable. He saw his father step into the lobby, a slightly panicked look on his face. It was then that Conner simply knew that they had been busted.

"My father gave me the money! He said to get donuts!" the young man exclaimed, ignoring the shocked and slightly hurt look Angel shot his way. However, Ariana merely cocked her head to the side, a confused look filling her face.

"What? I was just going to tell you not to leave without an umbrella. It's supposed to rain," suddenly, her eyes flashed in anger and she spun to face Angel, who was trying to reach the stairs as stealthily as possible.

"You gave him money for donuts? I spent ten minutes making him breakfast this morning, something that *isn't* made of sugar, and you tell him to get *donuts*?!" she screeched.

Angel shot his son a dark look. "Traitor," he growled. Then, he faced his now irate Seer. "Ana, I couldn't help it. He looked so pitiful, and was whining about wanting to try something new. You know, that donut shop two blocks over has at least thirty different kinds of pastries."

Conner's eyes grew wide. However, before he could defend himself, Ariana cut him off. "Oh, forget about the donuts. In fact, forget about breakfast at all. There's a demon at the Southpoint Mall. It's attacking shoppers. Conner, take the battle ax and hurry!" she said in a rush.

As the youth grabbed the weapon, he mumbled a quiet apology to his father, then headed out the door. Rushing into the bright, sun-filled day, he could still hear Ariana chastising Angel.

"Angel, you told me that I was the one responsible for making sure that Conner ate some what healthy food..."

The young man darted down the street; his heart pounding in his chest as the adrenaline began surging through his body. Mentally, he tried to clear his mind in order to prepare himself for the battle that was coming. Although he didn't know what it was, something was telling him that this fight was going to be very different from any of the other ones he had been in.

About five minutes later, he arrived at the busy shopping center. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary outside, he wondered if Ariana had told him the right place. However, as soon as he entered the mall, he could hear screams.

"This must be it," he muttered softly, attempting to cut through the crowd of onlookers that had gathered around the demon. Quickly, he realized that he wasn't going to get through.

Looking around, his eyes landed on the balcony above him. Perfect. Tucking the battle-ax into his belt, he quickly scaled the wall, landing safely on the other side.

Ignoring the gasps coming from the people who had noticed him, he dashed down the corridor, peering over the ledge. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

On the main floor, directly below him, was an enormous green skinned demon. That in and of itself wouldn't have fazed him. However, standing directly in front of the monster was a teenage girl with long, brown hair. Moreover, she was fighting!

Conner felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched the girl punch, kick, and dodge. She could actually fight! Yet, even as good as she was, he knew that the demon was slowly but surely gaining the other hand. It was obvious that she was tiring. So, with the ease and grace that both he and his father possessed, Conner leapt over the railing.

He landed right behind the demon, and wasted no time in punching the thing square in its back.

The demon stumbled forward, then spun back around, swinging a fist at the attacker.

Conner caught it's arm, smirked at its surprised look, and flipped it onto its back. Then, in one fluid motion, he removed his battle-ax and decapitated the demon.

Silence filled the mall as onlookers slowly began to process what they had just witnessed. However, Conner paid them no mind. Instead, he looked from his most recent kill to the girl standing just a few feet away. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she demanded, "Just what in the hell were you trying to prove back there?"

******

Dawn Summers was having a very strange day. Actually, considering the fact the she lived in Sunnydale and had seen more apocalypses that she could remember, very little was strange to her anymore. However, she could definitely say that, the day that had started out normal enough had quickly gotten interesting.

She had been in LA visiting her father for the past two months. And, in all of the time, she hadn't seen one vampire, demon, or anything else of the non-human variety. Although it had taken her a few weeks to get used to the boring life that most teenage girls had, she had eventually grown to enjoy it. In a vacation sort of way.

Now, though, it was obvious that her vacation had been postponed. She had gone to the mall to go shopping with some of the girls that she had met in her father's neighborhood. Then, while leaving a music store, she heard screaming.

Having lived on a Hellmouth for as long as she could remember, and having a Slayer for an older sister, Dawn did the only thing that she knew to do. She went to
investigate.

Rounding a corner, she quickly spotted where the screams were coming from. In the middle of the food court, a young woman was being chased by a giant demon.

Thanking the Powers That Be that she had been training with Buffy since the Willow fiasco, Dawn threw down her packages and jumped between the lady and the demon.

"Why don't you pick on someone who can actually fight back?" she challenged, smiling brightly.

The green colored gargoyle looking thing snarled, looking her up and down. "Like you, little girl?" it laughed. "Don't make me laugh."

Dawn narrowed her eyes, going into a fighting stance. "Mark my words, Swamp Thing. Once this is over, you won't be the one laughing."

So, they began to fight. And, for the first time since she'd left Sunnydale, Dawn was truly having a great time. Her blood was rushing through her body, her heart was hammering in her chest, and she had never felt more alive.

Then, it had all come crashing down around her.

Out of nowhere, some guy jumped from the second floor, attacked the demon, and, within seconds, had killed it.

So, when this mystery guy finally looked at her, a smirk on his face, she had done the first thing that came naturally to her in order to save her tattered pride. She had crossed her arms over her chest, given him the most venomous look that she could muster, and had snapped, "Just what in the hell were you trying to prove back there?"

Now, he was standing in front of her, his mouth slightly open and his forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"I-I don't understand," he sputtered.

Dawn sighed, shaking her head. "That show of macho manliness that you just put on! What was that all about? Why did you interfere?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

He blinked, clearly at a loss for words. "I saved you," he replied softly, taking a step towards her and re-sheathing his weapon.

The youngest Summers snorted. "You so did not! I didn't even need saving! I was doing just fine until you all swooped in here like Batman, with your billowy cape looking jacket and your ax!"

"I don't know who this Batman is, but, I--"

Dawn couldn't help it. She was far too angry and embarrassed to think clearly. She laughed. "What are you, brain damaged? How can you not know who Batman is? What, did you grow up on some island away from civilization?" she teased.

The warrior's eyes narrowed and his face darkened. Instantly, Dawn felt guilty. As he tried to turn from her, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It's just," she sighed, trying to find a way to put what she was feeling into words that he would understand. "All I ever hear is how I'm too young to help fight. That I might get hurt. But, just a few minutes ago, I wasn't getting hurt. I was actually doing good! And," she shook her head. "Nevermind. I've got to go."

She turned away, heading back to where she had dropped her purchases, and began gathering up bags. A few seconds later, a figure knelt beside her. She looked up and saw the young man gathering items that had fallen out of one of the sacks.

As they both stood, she smiled. "Thanks. Um, I'm Dawn, by the way."

He smiled a small grin, running his hand through his hair. "I'm Connor. Can I help you carry some of these things?" he asked.

She nodded. "Ok. My dad's supposed to pick me up at the North Entrance." Seeing his blank look, she nodded down the corridor. "This way."

Conner nodded, walking beside her. Every few seconds, he glanced at her, trying to think of something to say. However, his heart was hammering to loudly in his chest to hear what his brain was trying to tell him.

Dawn clutched the bags as tightly as she could to try to stop her hands from shaking. For some reason, this guy was giving her a serious case of the butterflies. Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So, um, those were some nice moves that you had back there. Where did you learn them?" she asked, glancing shyly at him.

"My father. Where did you learn?" he replied.

Dawn sighed. "My sister. She's one of the best fighters that I know. And, she always has the coolest things to say while she's fighting, too! I mean, " she trailed off as she realized that she had to sound like the biggest dork as she prattled on about her sister.

Conner smiled. "She sounds like a very competent warrior," he said.

She nodded. "Yep. She's stopped every would be Big Bad that's been around. Well, in Sunnydale, at least."

The young man stiffened at the mention of the town that his father had lived in before moving to LA. Shaking his head, he decided that it just had to be a coincidence.

"So, do you live in Sunnydale with your sister?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible. He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

"Yeah. I''m just visiting my dad here for the summer. Things got a little too...intense for me there. So, here I am. Although, funny thing about demons. They don't seem to care that people are on vacation. They just show up and start attacking whenever they feel like it. And, in broad daylight, too! I mean, at least vampires are limited to the night!" Dawn froze, stopping dead in her tracks as a thought occurred to her.

Conner stopped as well, eyeing her worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Please tell me that you knew about vampires. I just assumed, since you knew about demons..."

She was so busy trying not to go into an instant babble that she missed the wry grin that spread across his face.

"Yes, I know about vampires," he answered. "And, you're right. For the most part, they are limited to the night. However, not always. There are many tunnels throughout the city that they can travel through." He bit his tongue, cursing himself for sounding like a teacher of all things demonic.

Dawn nodded as they exited the mall. "Yeah, I know. There are lots of tunnels and stuff in Sunnydale, too. Plus, it's only direct sunlight. They can go out if it's overcast enough. " She laughed. "Not like we have that problem, huh?"

Sighing, she watched as her father pulled up. "Well, there's my ride."

Conner swallowed, trying to remove the lump in his throat. He didn't understand what he was feeling. However, one thing was certain. He really didn't want her to go.

"It was nice meeting you, Dawn. Are you in town much longer?" he managed to ask.

She shrugged. "I leave in about a month. School, y''know?" seeing his blank look, she shook her head. "You're really unique, Conner."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to sound any more idiotic than he already had.

The young woman laughed. "No! Unique is good." Taking a deep breath, she looked from her father, who was impatiently looking at her, back to the guy that had gotten her attention with his quiet charm and puzzling innocence. "I had better go."

Conner looked at her, peering into the bluest eyes he had ever seen. "Can I see you again sometime?" he blurted out, flushing as soon as the words had left his mouth.

Dawn's face began glowing as a smile filled her face. "Yeah, I'd like that. Um," she rummaged through her purse, finally retrieving a pen and piece of paper. Quickly, she wrote the number down, and handed it to him. "Call me. Whenever. My dad is hardly ever home, so it's never really too late. Bye!" with that, she practically floated to the car.

"Bye," he whispered, watching her go. He returned her wave as the car pulled away, then looked at the paper in his hand. He was going to have to learn how to have a conversation on the telephone. Up until now, he hadn't really needed to, nor wanted to. Now, though, he decided as he headed back to Angel Investigations with a slight spring in his step, it would be worth it. Especially if it meant getting to know the strange girl that had piqued his interest.

******

Cordelia stared at the building that loomed before her, her heart in her throat. Angel Investigations. This had to be the place. She had already tried every other detective agency that began with an ''A'' in the phone book, with no luck.

"Well, it's certainly foreboding enough. I mean, Angelus always did like big and powerful," she trailed off as she realized what she had said. "Not Angelus. Angel," she reminded herself for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "He's not Angelus anymore." Tears blurred her vision as she, once again, tried to wrap her brain around that bombshell.

"Mama, are we going in?" Hope suddenly asked softly, peering up at her mother.

Cordelia held onto her child's hand tighter, nodding her head. "In just a second, baby. I just need a minute to compose myself."

Hope scrunched up her nose, tilting her head to the side. "What's 'pose mean?" she question.

The woman smiled despite the pain in her heart. "Compose, Hope. And, it means, to organize," she explained.

The girl nodded, understanding that word. "Ok. You do that. But, please hurry. My feet hurt."

Cordelia laughed. "Alright, honey." Taking a deep breath, she forced her shoulders higher, resuming the old air of confidence she once displayed in high school. Using her free hand, she smoothed the wrinkles out of her shirt, wishing that she had decided to wear the dress she had purchased in New York rather than the blouse and jeans combo she was currently clad in.

However, her feet refused to listen to her brain.

Suddenly, Hope stiffened, a small growl escaping her lips. Immediately, Cordelia looked around, trying to discover the source of her daughter's discomfort. She saw nothing.

"What is it, Hope?" she asked in slight alarm, wishing she had brought a weapon with her.

Hope didn't answer. Instead, her grip around her mother's hand tightened and she suddenly turned her head slightly to the side, eyeing a young man that was coming up the sidewalk.

Cordelia winced, as the pressure on her hand suddenly became downright painful. Then, she too noticed the youth.

He appeared to be in his teens, with brown hair and a tall, muscular build. He walked up to the front door, then paused, his hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned his head towards them, as if seeing them for the first time. His eyes roamed over Cordelia, then moved to Hope as the girl began to growl louder.

A small smile played on his lips before he shrugged, opened the door, and walked inside the hotel, leaving the door open behind him.

"What the..." Cordelia wondered aloud, utterly confused. He looked so familiar.

"This is the place, mama. Let's go in," Hope suddenly announced, practically dragging her mother down the rest of the walk.

They reached the doorway in time to hear a young woman's voice. "Connor, how many times do I need to remind you to shut the door!"

Cordelia froze, just out of their sight. She heard whom she assumed was the young man reply, "We have company."

The former cheerleader sighed. So much for chickening out. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile on her face and walked inside, Hope standing behind her.

Her hazel eyes took in the site before her. A young woman with shoulder-length, auburn hair stood behind the counter. The young man was halfway up the stairs that lead to what she assumed were hotel rooms. Another young woman with long, brown hair sat beside a young black man on the couch in the lobby.

"Um, hello. I was wondering if you could help me," Cordelia asked softly, freezing when all of them, save the teenage boy, turned to look at her.

The woman from behind the counter smiled, walking towards her. "Hi. My name's Ariana. May I ask what your name is?"

Cordelia opened her mouth, however, no sound came out. Finally, she managed, "M-my name is..."

"Oh my God. Cordelia," a voice suddenly rang out from the stairs.

The former May Queen turned, her breath catching in her throat. Walking towards her in leather pants and a crushed blue velvet shirt was the one person she'd spent the last five years trying to forget. Tears filled her eyes and a sob escaped her as she whispered, "Angelus."

******