Part One

The janitor's closet was dark and had a faint, musty lemon smell, but it was the best place to eavesdrop on conversations taking place in Uncle Wesley's office.  Connor held his breath as the voices rose in volume.  He hadn't wanted to start an argument, but his Mom was one of the few people who could change his Dad's mind.

"Angel, you're being stubborn!" Cordelia's voice rang loud and clear even in the closet.  "Connor deserves to have a semblance of a normal life.  He can't be hidden away forever."

"Cordelia." Angel glanced meaningfully at the janitor's closet just outside the office's door.  He could hear his son's heartbeat, but even if he couldn't, he would have known he was there.  It was his favorite hiding place - had been for the past ten years.  "His life is still in danger."

"There hasn't been an attempt to kidnap or kill Connor in over a year." Cordelia jumped up on Wesley's desk to sit beside Angel as he leaned against it.  "Wesley and the assorted demon tutors that Lorne has sent us are fine, but they bore him.  Xander, Anya, and their kids don't  visit very often and besides, Brenden and Michelle are younger than Connor.  He needs kids his own age to play with.  We can't be his  whole world."

"I know.  It's just that...."

"You'll worry," Cordelia finished Angel's statement.  She put a  comforting hand on his shoulder.  "So will I.  So will Wesley and Gunn and Fred and even Spike.  We all love him, but we can't protect him by sheltering him.  If he's going to deal with...the prophecies...he needs to learn some things on his own."

"I know." Angel ran a hand through his hair.  He knew Cordelia was  right.  Connor needed to learn how to look after himself.  This was the hardest thing he had ever done.  "Fine.  He can go to school."

"I knew you would see sense eventually." Cordelia leaned over and kissed Angel's cheek.

"And by 'sense' you mean 'your way'?" Angel teased.

"Of course.  You'll see, Angel, it will be okay.  Saint Jude's Academy is a great school and it's not too far away.  There's even sewer access  for emergencies - not that there will be any - and, here's the best thing, who is going to look for the miracle offspring of two vampires in a Catholic school?" Cordelia jumped off the desk.  She smiled a  wide, encouraging grin, one she knew Angel couldn't resist.  He had  already consented, but she wanted him to feel good about his decision - it would cut down on the brooding time.

"You've been doing your research." Angel smiled back at the woman his son called 'Mom.'  Cordelia was his best friend.  His confident.  His unrequited love.  Angel had accepted it years ago that Cordelia refused to allow her feelings for him move beyond a deep and abiding friendship.  Even after raising a son together and the Powers rewarding him with a permanent soul, still Cordelia had insisted that they remain friends.  She was looking for something - something he obviously  couldn't provide - and Angel didn't want to lose her, so he accepted it.

"Actually, it was Connor who did the research.  He really wants this." Cordelia didn't know what else to say.  She loved Connor and Angel so much, she couldn't stand to see either of them unhappy.  Because of that, she had almost given in to Angel's flirting and started a  relationship with him.  Almost.  It was only the fact that she knew she wasn't what Angel needed that stopped her.  If they had done  something stupid like get romantically involved, it would only have hurt Connor once it stopped working.  Angel wasn't what she needed either.

"Son," Angel called out and waited for the door to the janitor's closet to slowly swing open.  Connor's dark head emerged, hope lighting his bright blue eyes.  He looked a lot like his father, except for his eyes, those were Darla's.  "Do you really want to do this?"  At Connor's enthusiastic nod, Angel grinned.  "Then I guess your Mom is going to have to take you shopping for school supplies."

"And clothes."

"There's a school uniform, Mom," Connor informed Cordelia with more than just a little relief.  "I need to get at least two of them.  And I need notebooks and pens and a ruler....I have the list upstairs in my bedroom.  Can we go right now, Mom?  Can we?"  Without bothering to wait for his mother's nod, Connor tore upstairs, still excitedly listing off the things he would need to buy.

"We better watch it, or we'll have another Willow on our hands."  As soon as she realized what she said, the amused smile faded from Cordelia's lips.  No one had seen Willow in eleven years, not since around the time Connor had been born, and the Sunnydale group was decidedly silent about the events surrounding the redhead's disappearance.  Angel was especially bitter about the silence, he took it as guilt and blamed them for Willow running away.  That and Connor's birth had been the death knell for Buffy and Angel's eternal soulmates angst.  They barely spoke anymore and when they did, they ended up arguing about Willow and Connor.

"That wouldn't be so bad." Angel sighed.  Whenever Willow entered his thoughts, he sent up a silent prayer for her safety and he did so again.  He had given up looking for her a year after she had left. Occasionally, a letter would arrive telling them she was safe and she never forgot to send cards at Christmas or on birthdays.  She also seemed to know what was happening with them, because Connor was included.  Angel had tried to find her by tracing the envelopes, but they were enchanted - the post office had no record of ever sending them so there was no return address.  "She remembered Connor's birthday again.  She sent a package early because they were busy with moving preparations."

"They?  So, she's not alone.  Did she let anything else slip?"

"No.  I wish I could write her back.  Then I could let her know that we don't care about whatever happened in Sunnydale and that she doesn't need our forgiveness."

"And you could ask what the hell she did that was so horrible she had to leave and Buffy refuses to speak her name.  I miss her." Cordelia scowled.  It was a sad day in Willow Rosenberg's life when her former nemesis uttered those words and really meant them while her so-called best friends went on with their lives like Willow had never existed. When they visited, Cordelia tried to browbeat Xander into telling her what happened, but the last time he had actually started to cry and she had stopped.

"I do too.  I'm going to call Buffy again and maybe Xander.  It's been awhile, maybe they'll finally tell me something."  Angel may have given up trying to find Willow, but he hadn't stopped trying to find out what the hell happened that had made her disappear from their lives.

"I got the list.  Mommy, let's go." Connor dashed excitedly downstairs. He hadn't called Cordelia 'Mommy' in months, preferring to address her with a more mature 'Mom' now since he was about to turn eleven soon.

"Okay." Cordelia grabbed her jacket and purse.  She held out her hand for the keys to the convertible, which Angel handed over without protest.  She pecked his cheek.  "We'll be back in a couple of hours. Try Xander first.  He still doesn't like you, but if he thinks you might be able to find Willow, he might tell you what happened."

"I'm not going to look for Willow, she doesn't want to be found and, as long as she's safe, I have to respect that."

"Just don't tell Xander that and he might spill.  Bye, Angel." Cordelia took Connor's hand and they headed for the front door.

"Bye, Cordy.  Don't let her talk you into Armani pencils, Connor."

"Armani doesn't make pencils." Cordelia tossed back a withering glance.

Angel grinned.  "If he did, you would buy them."

*****

It was too soon.  She was just a baby - her baby - and there was no telling what would happen if she were out on her own.  She wasn't ready.  Piper Halliwell turned to look at her eleven year old daughter sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV.  Pandora's hazel eyes were wide with excitement as she watched the other children exiting buses or their parents' vehicles and heading into the school. Piper tapped the steering wheel and hastily swung the car into a newly opened space.  Who was she kidding?  Pandora was more than ready to go to a regular school.  She was the one who wasn't ready.

"Okay, Sweetheart, here we are." Piper gave her daughter a toothy smile.  She couldn't resist reaching out to stroke her long, wavy black hair.  It was so much like Pru and Paige's.  "Are you scared?"

"No." Pandora shook her head.  "School is fun, Mom.  Thanks for letting me go and for convincing the Elders that it was a good idea."

"That was your father."  A familiar blue and white light filled the backseat and formed into the man just mentioned.  "Leo!  Do you really think you should be doing that here?  We don't want to call attention to Pan."

"The windows are tinted and everyone is concerned about getting their kids into the school so they can get to work on time.  I'm sure no one
noticed.  I couldn't miss my daughter's first day of school."  Leo leaned forward and planted a kiss on his wife.  Then he turned to his daughter and smiled.  "Have fun and be careful.  If there's any trouble, Pan, all you have to do is call and I'll orb in if you need me."

"Dad, the Source isn't going to send demons into a Catholic school to kidnap me.  You and Mom worry too much."

"We love you, sweetie." Piper hugged Pandora.  She wasn't as confident as her daughter that the Source wouldn't look for her here.  Of course,
she had been fighting evil for fifteen years and tended to see it everywhere.  She had also lost way too many people she loved for her not to be worried.  "Remember, no using your powers, even if you drop your pencil, and your Aunt Paige will be here to pick you up right after school."

"Okay.  Bye, Mom.  Bye, Dad." After a quick hug and a kiss to both of her parents, Pandora hopped out of the car.  She gave them both a wave before joining the throng of uniformed students entering the school.

"Tell me she'll be okay, Leo."

"She'll be fine and I can always orb in if she's not." Leo squeezed Piper's shoulder.  "The Elders couldn't teach her everything she needs to know, she needs practical experience."

"She needs friends." Piper waited until Pandora entered the school before she put the car in gear and headed home.  That was the only reason why she had agreed to let Pandora out of her sight and away from the Charmed Ones and the Elders' protection - her daughter was lonely. This would be good for Pandora.  She would be fine.

*****

Ron Weasley was nervous and excited.  He always felt this way his first day at a new school.  He swiped at the bright red hair that fell into his eyes and pressed his freckled face closer to the window to get a better look at some of the other students.  They were all wearing the same navy blue uniform jacket with white shirts and navy ties underneath with the boys in matching navy pants and the girls in navy plaid skirts.  Ron had no idea why his mother insisted on sending him to a Catholic school since they weren't Catholic.  Actually that probably was why she had sent him here, it was the last place He would look for him.

"I'm sure you'll make new friends at this school too."  Mac, his stepfather, tried to reassure him.  He ran a hand through his wavy brown hair.  "I'm sorry we had to leave New Orleans, but your mother was getting a bad feeling and you know what her bad feelings mean."

"It's okay, Dad.  I know why we have to move all the time."  Ron's green eyes clouded.  "Is Mom okay?"

"She's fine.  We're just a little too close to home for her and she has to deal with some memories." Mac ruffled Ron's hair.  "Have a good day, son, and I'll pick you up after school."

"Bye, Dad." Ron got out of the car.  He slung his knapsack over his shoulder.  The first day was always tough, but he always got through it.

*****

Throughout his young life, Connor had been prepared for many things. His mother and father had taught him how to fight and defend himself - not that they had let him even come close to using his skills on anything other than the punching bag in the basement.  His Uncle Wesley and Aunt Fred had quizzed him endlessly on the vulnerabilities of vampires and assorted demons - not that he was ever allowed to use his knowledge.  The only vampires he had ever met were his Dad and Uncle Spike and the only demons were Uncle Lorne and the benign tutors he had sent to teach him his schoolwork.

Now, for the first time, Connor was going to face something and the irony was that he hadn't been prepared for it at all.  He stood in the doorway of the classroom and shifted uncomfortably.  The other kids had all found seats and had congregated into groups to talk about their summer vacations.  They had all obviously gone to school together the previous years.

"Hey, if you're auditioning to be the door, you're failing miserably," a voice from behind Connor cracked.  He turned around to see a boy his age with a mop of bright red hair and a pale freckled face.

"Sorry." Connor stepped aside and allowed the boy to join him on the fringes of the classroom.

"It's okay." The boy shook his head.  "This is the worst part, finding some place to sit without disturbing or offending the social circles. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way, my family just moved to Los Angeles."

"Connor Chase.  This is my first day too."

"Excellent!  It's easier when there's more than one newbie.  You just move here too?"  Ron cocked his head to the side and readjusted his napsack.  He scanned the room for empty seats.  He could already tell that he liked this Connor guy - kind of the strong, silent type - and it helped that he wasn't the only one without friends in this class.

"No, I've lived in L. A. all my life.  I had tutors."

"Excuse me," a girl's voice interrupted their male bonding.  "Class is about to start and you shouldn't be standing around like this.  I'm Pandora Halliwell and I've been home-schooled until now as well." Pandora took a deep breath.  There was no reason to be nervous.  They were just boys and it's not like she was going to be friends with them. "There are three seats over there that aren't taken."

Connor exchanged a glance with Ron before shrugging and following the girl with the take-charge attitude.  He didn't quite know what to make of her, she kind of reminded him of his mother - she was always telling his dad and uncles what to do too.  "I'm Connor Chase and this is Ron Weasley."  Pandora nodded as she sat down in the seat in the front row. She looked like she was going to hold out her hand, but seemed to
change her mind and ran it through her long black hair instead.  Connor sat in the seat behind her and Ron took the one across from him to his
left.

"Good morning, class."  The entrance of the teacher forestalled any more conversation between the three new classmates.  The teacher was a
young blonde woman who wore a long black skirt and a pink sweater.  Connor was slightly surprised because he had thought his teachers would
be nuns and she didn't seem to be a nun.  "I'm Ms. Lana Foster and I'll be replacing Sister Frances this year since she has retired.  I see we have three other new people today....Connor Chase, Ron Weasley, and Pandora Halliwell."  Ms. Foster looked up as she read their names and they each nodded in turn.

A soft snigger to his right drew Connor's attention.  He looked over at the pretty girl with her blonde hair done up in barrettes.  Her cold blue eyes were fixed on Pandora.  "I hope you didn't bring a box to school with you.  Your parents must be heathens, Halliwell, to give you such a ridiculous name."  Pandora's spine stiffened, but she didn't turn around to acknowledge the comment.

"I like it," Connor immediately defended her.  "It's unusual."

The blonde girl turned to him, a smile warming her eyes.  "Connor Chase, right?  I'm Amanda Vespy.  Just a little friendly advice, you might want to think about your fondness for the unusual, it's not accepted here."

"Really?" Ron's eyes bugged out and his mouth contorted into strange shapes as he put on a blatantly false display of surprise.  "You mean the whole everyone-wears-the-same-thing was an attempt to make us all alike?  And here I thought this school would be the right bloody place for freedom of expression!"

"Children," Ms. Foster interrupted with a pointed look before Amanda could respond to Ron's sarcasm.  "You can get to know each other  better later, right now let's focus on the lesson.

In response to the teacher's order, Connor turned to face the front. Pandora sat with her head bent over her books, writing furiously even thought the teacher wasn't really saying anything that needed to be written down.  It was like she needed to keep her hands busy so that they wouldn't be doing something else.

*****

When Connor arrived back at the Hyperion with Uncle Gunn after school, his Mom and Dad were waiting for him.  So was a glass of milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.  Sometimes in their efforts to give him a 'normal' life, his parents got a little dorky and cliched.

"So, Connor, how was your first day of school?  Are your teachers nice?  Do you like your classes?" Cordelia gave him a big hug and a kiss.  She would never admit it to Angel, but she had been worried sick all day.

"It was fine, Mom.  Ms. Foster is really nice and the classes are okay, I guess." Connor bit into a cookie.

"Did you make some new friends?" Angel asked his question much more calmly than Cordelia had asked hers.  She hadn't fooled him, she had paced and fidgeted all day.  He had actually been surprised when he hadn't joined her in her worry.  Now he knew why.  His son needed this experience and had felt he was ready for it.  Angel trusted Connor's judgement.

A swig of cold milk washed down the cookie as Connor considered his Dad's question.  He thought about Ron.  He like him.  Ron was funny and
easy to get along with.  Pandora was a bit harder to figure out.  She was bossy and outspoken, yet she hadn't defended herself against Amanda's taunts.  "I think so, Dad."
 

Part Two

The next day, Ron was waiting for Connor in front of the school.  He had told his mother and father about his new friend, he had even mentioned Pandora, and it had seemed to make his mother feel better. She had smiled.  Moving always made her feel guilty, because it made her feel like she couldn't give him a proper home.  She had lived her whole life in the same town and had grown up with her friends.

"Hey, Connor, ready for another day?" Ron greeted the other boy with a grin.  "Ready to face the commander in chief of the Conventionality Police, otherwise known as Amanda Vespy?"

"I'm not particularly looking forward to that." Connor looked around. "Have you seen Pandora?"

"Nope, but I'm sure she'll be in class." Ron elbowed Connor.  "Took a liking to her did you?"

"No," Connor immediately protested as his face heated up.  His mother had said almost the same thing the night before when he had told them
about Pandora Halliwell.  The last thing he needed was for people to think he liked a girl.  "She was just acting weird yesterday, don't you think?"

Ron shrugged.  "She's a girl," he said as if that was the only explanation needed.  They entered the classroom to find Pandora already sitting at her desk reading a book.

"Hey, Pandora," Connor greeted her as he sat down behind her.  He ignored Ron's pantomimed calf eyes and desperate clutching of his heart.  "You're here early this morning."

"My Mom and Aunts had some...business to take care of this morning so Dad brought me early before he went to...work."  Pandora neglected to
add that the reason why they arrived so early was because they had orbed into the alley behind the school.  Her Mom, Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Paige had to go vanquish a demon.  She hoped they were alright.

"Good morning, class."  Ms. Foster breezed in and cast a smile in the general direction of the class.  Pandora dutifully faced forward, pushing any worry she had for her family to the back of her mind.

"Phoebe, watch out!" Piper cast her hands in her sister's direction. The small blue demon with the glowing green eyes behind Phoebe exploded
into blue ash and swirling green smoke.

"Was that the last one?" Phoebe coughed.  She looked around the parking garage, but only saw parked cars.

"I think so." Paige stood up from behind the convertible she had ducked under for cover when one of the demons had flown at her.  She had orbed
it into oblivion before it had hit her.  "What the hell were they?  I thought we were tracking a Wilcate demon?"

"We were."  Piper dusted herself off.  "I think those were the welcoming committee."

"Well, I feel welcome."  Paige joined her sisters.  "How come this isn't getting easier?  We're the Charmed Ones, we kick ass - we've proven we kick ass - why aren't they cowering and running from us?"

"Because evil isn't easily intimidated."  Phoebe bit her lip and tucked a stray strand of light brown hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear.  She cast a wary glance at her older sister.  "Maybe these demons were a distraction.  The Source has sent a Wilcate after Pan before."

"It can't enter the school.  Wilcates can't stand on sacred ground and Saint Jude's is built on sacred ground, that's why Leo and I chose it. Pan's safe."  Piper headed back to the car, her jaw set, but she couldn't stop the quaver in her voice.

"Of course she is."  Paige frowned at Phoebe as they followed their older sister.  She then pasted on a bright smile.  "So, did Pan say anything about her first day of school?  She was kind of quiet when I picked her up yesterday."

"I think it's different than what she expected.  She likes her teacher and the schoolwork though."

"She is her mother's daughter." Phoebe smiled.

"Yeah."  Piper grimaced.  "I wish she were more like you and Prue and not so shy.  She needs friends, not ridicule from her peers."

"She'll meet friends, she's just being picky.  That's a good thing, because being picky means you end up with really good friends."  Paige glanced at her watch.  "I've got to go or I'll be late for a meeting at the courthouse.  Do you need me to pick Pan up again after school?"

"No, Cole said he would do it," Phoebe answered for Piper.  She and the eldest Halliwell walked to the black SUV recklessly parked in the middle of the lane while Paige headed to her blue sports car.  "Have you seen him around the courthouse?  He hasn't really said anything about his new job as a child advocate."

"I'll see him at the meeting.  I think he likes it."  Paige got into her car.  "See you later."

"Or sooner if any more demons show up."  Piper waved as Paige drove off.  She turned to Phoebe as they got into the car.  "What's going on
between you and Cole?"

"Nothing.  We haven't really talked and I don't see very much of him lately - not since I turned down his last proposal.  He's disconnecting from me, Piper.  He's still depressed and angry.  You would think that he had gotten used to being human by now, it's been eleven years."

"I think his moods have more to do with his girlfriend rejecting his proposals of marriage for the last eleven years.  He seems to have accepted his humanity just fine.  He did refuse the Source's offer to give him back his demon powers."

"That's because he had to kill Pan to get them back and he adores her."

"He probably would like a few children of his own." Piper glanced at Phoebe, but looked away before asking her question.  It had been on her mind for a few years now.  At first, the idea of Phoebe being involved with a demon who had tried to kill them was unsettling, but Cole had proven that he was no longer a murdering minion for the Source.  "Just out of curiosity, why did you turn him down this time?"

"I don't know."  Phoebe sighed and leaned her forehead against the passenger side window.  She frowned at her reflection as Piper drove out of the parking garage and headed toward their club, P3.

The day was half over.  The day was half over.  Pandora repeated that mantra to herself over and over.  Why had she ever wanted to go to
school?  The Elders could have taught her everything she would ever need to know and probably more than that if she asked, but they couldn't have given her friends.  She had wanted to meet other children her own age and have fun like Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige had when they had gone to school.  But that wasn't going to happen.  For some reason, Amanda Vespy had taken it upon herself to make Pandora an outcast. She didn't know what she had done wrong, she had tried to be as normal as possible.  She hadn't used her powers at all - not even by accident- although she had been sorely tempted.

"Watch it, Heathen," Amanda turned and hissed when Pandora bumped into her in the lunch line.  "I guess your parents didn't bother to teach you manners."

For a second, a variety of hexes and curses she had read in the Book of Shadows flitted through Pandora's mind.  Using any one of them would
have been satisfying.  And wrong.  Pandora sighed.  She looked down at the banana and apple she had set on her tray.  It would have to be
enough, she had a sudden desire to be alone.  She wasn't that hungry anyway.  Pandora walked out of the line and headed out into the courtyard.

As she passed through the glass door leading outside, a small dark haired girl brushed past her on her way inside.  A sudden flash of light and pain froze Pandora.  A jumble of images assaulted her brain. The small girl cowering in a corner.  The dusty bricks of a basement wall.  Glowing blood red talons reaching toward a bent dark head. Pandora gasped and stumbled outside, not noticing when her tray slipped from her grasp and crashed to the ground.

"Honestly, I don't know how she was accepted into this school.  My parents were told Saint Jude's was a very prestigious, but if they had known that they let in graceless heathens....well, they would have sent me to school in Paris instead."  Amanda flipped her hair over her shoulder.  The girls around her tittered on cue.

From behind them, Connor frowned.  He had seen everything and it worried him.  "Did you see what happened to Pandora?" he asked Ron to make sure he wasn't overreacting about something that might be normal behavior for adolescents.

"Yeah, Amanda said something mean to Pandora and she left.  Then that girl walked by her and she freaked."  Ron added two dishes of green Jell-O to his tray.  It joined the Twinkies and the baloney sandwich. "She's a strange one."

Maybe to some, but to Connor, Pandora's behavior was all to familiar. The way she had went rigid and then twitched, losing all control of her muscles had reminded him of when his mother had a vision.  "I'm going to go check on her."  Connor set his tray down and headed toward the courtyard.

"Guess I am too."  Ron shrugged.  He looked down at his tray for a moment, appraising each of the items sitting on it.  Finally, he snatched up the Twinkies and the sandwich before following Connor out.

They found Pandora sitting under a tree, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head in her hands.  Connor crouched down beside her. Tentatively, he touched her shoulder.  "Are you okay, Pandora?"

"Yeah, you don't have some weird medical condition that involves seizures, do you?"  Ron unwrapped a Twinkie and bit into it.  He threw the wrapper onto the grass.

"You shouldn't litter."  Pandora raised her head.  Tears stained her cheeks and she scrubbed at them with the heel of her hand.  "And no, I don't have a medical condition."

"Wow, you're even bossy when you're upset.  What's got you so hacked off?  It's not Amanda, is it?  Because she's just a stuck up snob. They have them in every school."  Ron bent and picked up the wrapper. He stuffed it in his pocket.

"You wouldn't understand."  Pandora stood up.  Her face and eyes were red from crying, there wasn't much she could do about that, but she
smoothed a hand over her hair to make it more presentable.

"We might."  Connor rose as well.  "It might help if you talk to your friends."

Friends.  What would Pandora tell her friends?  That Amanda Vespy was right?  That she was weird.  That she was a witch.  That her mother and aunts were witches, but not just any witches, they were the Charmed Ones.  That her father was a white-lighter, a guardian angel for good witches and her uncle was an ex-demon.  That would go over real well. Connor and Ron would think she was nuts.  They would tell everyone she
was crazy and then there would be no chance at all for her to fit in. "I can't be friends with boys!" Pandora snapped instead of pouring out all of her secrets.  The tears started running down her cheeks again. "That would just make me weirder."  She ran off toward a side door to the school.  Hopefully everyone would still be in the lunchroom and she could hide out in a girl's bathroom in peace.

"There you have it, she doesn't want to be our friend."  Ron shook his head.  The crying figure of Pandora disappeared into the school.  "That just goes to show you - you never leave green Jell-O for a girl.  It's not worth it."

"We can't let her go like that."  Connor started following Pandora's shaky route back to the school.  "She's upset."

"And she's just going to go cry in the bathroom!"  Ron watched Connor for a bit before throwing up his hands and running up to join him.  "I guess we're her friends whether she likes it or not."

The dusky gloom of the hotel lobby where the offices of Angel Investigations was based was suffused with the golden light that filtered through the dark curtains or blinds covering the windows. Wesley and Cordelia sat at Wesley's desk going through old case files and updating their demon database while Angel and Gunn went through the weapons closet to make sure everything was battle ready.  Fred was at the library, doing research on her doctoral thesis on the place of parallel universes in the space/time continuum.

"Cordy's calmer today," Gunn commented.  He ran his finger carefully along the blade of a broadsword to test its sharpness.  "Has she decided the creepy-crawlies aren't going to attack Conner in the middle of math class?"

"I think she was reassured when Connor talked about meeting some of the other children yesterday."  Angel glanced over at Cordelia.  She was
typing something into the computer as Wesley read from a file.  It was a bit early for them to be updating the database - they had just done it a couple of weeks ago - but Wesley had suggested it to keep Cordelia busy.

Gunn leaned forward.  "He tell you about the girl...Pandora Halliwell?" Gunn's teeth flashed as he grinned.

Angel chuckled.  "Yes.  Cordelia was particularly pleased to hear about her.  Although Connor was quick to tell her she wasn't his girlfriend."

"I don't know, Angel-man, you might want to sit him down for a birds and bees talk."  Gunn laughed at the shock and horror that crossed his
friend's face.

"He's only eleven."  Angel swallowed hard.  "It was hard enough trying to explain the circumstances of his birth, especially since we still don't have any idea how the hell that happened."  Angel's dazed rambling was interrupted by the front door opening.  Whoever it was, it was someone who knew Angel, because the door was opened carefully - so as to not throw a lot of light into the room.  "Hello," Angel called out in greeting and stood up.

"Hi, Angel."  Anya Harris closed the door.  She was alone, which was strange because Anya had never set foot in the Hyperion without Xander and their children.  "You have to stop calling Xander about Willow. It's going to kill him."

Everyone stared at Anya after she made her pronouncement.  Her lip trembled and she was on the verge of tears.  Angel immediately crossed over to her and guided her into one of the lobby chairs.  "I haven't spoken to Xander about Willow in almost a month.  She sent an early birthday present to Connor and I was thinking about her.  I need to know what happened."

Anya offered Angel a tremulous smile.  "She never forgets Brenden and Michelle's birthdays either, although sometimes I wish she would.  It hurts Xander that she's gone and he doesn't understand how she can know so much about our lives and yet she won't let us know anything about hers.  Buffy thinks she's still using black magic."

Angel sat down across from Anya.  Gunn, Cordelia, and Wesley also found seats near them.  Gunn didn't really know Willow, he had just met her
that one time when she came to tell them that Buffy was dead, but he knew how her disappearance had torn up Angel and Cordelia.  Even Wesley
had been upset and he had also once confessed that he hadn't known the young witch that well.

"Are you finally going to tell us what happened?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes."  Anya stared down at her clasped hands.  "Xander and I would have told you ages ago, but Buffy didn't want you to know.  Xander's loyal to Buffy - she's his only friend left - and I'm loyal to Xander, but it's been eleven years.  We can't keep living like this.  Xander can't keep living with this, if I tell you, you have to promise to stop calling him about Willow."

"We won't call unless we find her," Cordelia offered the promise Anya had asked for and an additional one that she knew Angel wasn't committed to.

"What did Buffy do to make Willow leave?" Angel asked quietly, partly to divert attention from Cordelia's rash promise and partly because he really wanted to know.  He had always known that the reason for their silence was guilt and since Buffy was the most adamant that Willow's disappearance from their lives not be talked about, she had to be the one feeling the most guilty.

"Well, as you know, Willow had some trouble with magic use - she was addicted to it - which isn't uncommon to untrained witches.  After Tara left her, she found a way to turn Amy from a rat back into her human form.  Amy introduced her to this dark warlock, Rack, who dealt in powerful black-market spells and he fed her addiction...."

"And Willow put Dawn's life in danger," Cordelia interrupted.  "We know this part.  Why did Willow leave?"

"Willow went cold turkey - no magic.  She was doing okay and Xander was so relieved.  He had been so worried about her.  About a month later,
Rack turned up again.  He just walked right into the Magic Box.  He told us that Willow was still coming to him - that she had never stopped - and we believed him.  Buffy was livid.  She kicked Willow out of her house and, well, no one exactly volunteered to give her a place to stay.  She stayed at that crappy hotel for a few weeks and tried to convince us that Rack was lying, but we wouldn't listen to her.  Then she just left.  We didn't mean for her to leave town and disappear - it was supposed to be tough love.  Xander broke down, he realized that Willow was telling us the truth.  She had been fine that last month, a little shaky, but not wrecked like she had been when she was going to Rack.  Buffy refuses to believe it though, she insists that Willow is dangerous and that we're better off with her gone.  It's tearing Xander apart."

"Maybe if Willow knew that, she would come back."  Cordelia reached over and squeezed Anya's hand.  She threw a pointed look in Angel's direction.  "And then she could show Buffy that she's wrong and that she isn't evil."

"Okay, fine.  We'll look for her again."  Angel looked at Wesley.  "At least we have a bit more to go on.  Why don't you see what you can find on this Rack guy, Wesley?  I'll got to Lorne's and ask if he's heard of him or if he knows where we can find him."  Angel stood up.  Willow might not want to be found, but she would want to know if her friends were suffering because of her disappearance.  And Angel couldn't bare the thought of Willow being out there thinking that she didn't deserve to be with her friends because she thought she was evil.

There was a bathroom here somewhere, Pandora was sure of it.  She wandered further down the corridor, wiping at her eyes furiously.  She couldn't go back to class looking like this, she would never hear the end of it.  She reached a corner.  Down one end of the hall, she could hear voices, so she turned and walked down the other.  As she turned the corner, she noticed the small girl who had brushed past her earlier disappear through a door.  Out of curiosity, and because she didn't want to go back where the voices were, Pandora walked over to the door.  She pushed it open to reveal a set of stairs that led down to the basement.

The basement.  The images from Pandora's vision rushed back at her, but without the blinding pain this time.  The girl was in trouble.  Pandora took the steps two at a time, hoping she wasn't too late.  The basement was dark and cluttered with old desks, crates full of books, and other things that the school and church didn't use anymore.  A thick layer of dust had settled on top of the objects, but the floor was pristine. Pandora heard a muffled sound and followed it.

"Hello," she called out.  She walked around a tower of crates.  The girl was huddled in the corner with her back to Pandora.  It was just like in her vision.  "Are you okay?"

The girl hurriedly stuffed something into a desk beside the wall and whirled around.  "A little privacy would have been nice," she snapped and glared at Pandora.  "What are you doing lurking around the basement?  Or were you following me?  Amanda is right, you are a freak."  The girl stalked past Pandora and up the stairs.

"Great.  Just perfect," Pandora muttered to herself.  "Now I'll be known as the basement lurking freak.  Damn vision."  Pandora frowned. She had seen the girl being attacked by a demon - or something with talons.  Maybe it was just Amanda.  Or maybe it wasn't going to happen until later when the girl came back for whatever it was she had hidden. Pandora stepped forward and bent down to look in the desk.  A few cd's and a discman were stored in there.  Rod Zombie and Marilyn Manson along with a few others that were probably prohibited in a good Catholic school girl's home.  She would most likely come back for them later and that's when....

A swishing, squelching sound behind her made the hairs on the back of Pandora's neck rise and her skin prickle.  A lock of her hair fell over her eyes.  As she pushed it back behind her ear, it hit her.  She had seen the talons reaching toward the bent head of a dark haired girl. Her head was bent.  She had dark hair.  It was with more than a little trepidation that Pandora turned and looked up.

"Witchhh," the Silear Nathair, or Cellar Serpent, lisped with its forked tongue.  It was big, it would have been over seven feet tall if it had stood up on legs instead of slithering around.  Its long snake-like body had a thick hide covered in a thin layer of clear ooze instead of scales and its upper body was reared up like a cobra's. Two skinny arms with five spindly fingers that ended in sharp talons fidgeted excitedly in front of it.  It's head was disturbingly humanoid in shape with big blue eyes and flapping dog-like ears.  It's small mouth was lined with flat grinding teeth that it used to pulverize the bones of its victims.  Cellar Serpents also fed psychically on strong emotion - its favorite being Faith and Love - so it usually dwelled in
the basements of churches, temples, and other places of worship. "Witchhh."  It reached out to Pandora.

Pandora did the only thing she always did in a moment of panic.  She dissolved into dancing points of blue light as she orbed out of the creature's reach.

"Whoa, did you see that?"  Ron's eyes were wide as Pandora dissipated into glowing light.

"Yeah," Connor answered.  "And that too."  He nodded at the serpent as it turned toward their voices.

"Witchhh gone."  The Cellar Serpent whipped around, surprisingly fast despite its size.  It's eerily human eyes flicked over Connor before resting on Ron.  "Annothhher one."  It slithered closer.

From behind it, the blue lights reformed and Pandora appeared in the same spot she had left.  Ron stumbled back in astonishment at Pandora's
sudden reappearance at the same time the serpent reached out at him. The talons grazed his cheek, drawing blood.  Pandora screamed,
distracting the serpent and it wheeled around to confront her.  Connor took the opportunity to pick up a large crate full of textbooks and he
heaved it at the creature.  The crate hit the back of the creature's head and broke open, burying it top portion in wood and books.  The tail flailed in every direction, knocking Connor and Ron to the floor. It then swung up and crashed back down onto the floor.  Both the boys rolled away in different directions, but as Ron rolled, he changed. When he stopped, in Ron's school uniform was a red roan puppy around six months old.  The puppy gave a spirited bark and a brave little growl before wiggling out of the oversized shoes and pants.  It attacked the thrashing tail of the serpent, biting down on it and hanging on.

The tail flipped furiously above them even with the Ron/puppy attached to it, so Connor hurled himself on it as well.  As they wrestled with the bottom half, the top part of the serpent broke through the books and wooden debris of the crate and made a grab for Pandora.  "No!" She squeezed her eyes shut and gestured in its direction with her hands the way she had seen her mother do about a million times when fighting a demon.  The ensuing silence punctuated only by quiet panting convinced Pandora that she hadn't blown any one up so she opened her eyes. Connor sat on the floor breathing hard.  The Cellar Serpent was frozen in a 'U' shape, its head and tail in the air.

"Where's Ron?"  Pandora looked around.  Connor pointed to a stack of crates.

"I'm fine."  Ron walked from behind the crates, tucking his shirt into his pants.  "What's that?"

"Silear Nathair or Cellar Serpent.  It's a carnivorous snake-like demon that dwells in church basements and other places of worship because it feeds psychically off the faith of the congregation as well as...the congregation."  The three eyed each other uncertainly.  "It's not going to stay frozen forever."

Set up against the wall a few feet from Connor was an old heavy pewter cross.  He picked it up and walked over to the serpent.  With one swing, he smashed its head open and it flopped to the floor.  Again, the three regarded each other with suspicion.

"You shouldn't have been able to do that, that cross is too heavy for an eleven year old boy to pick up and swing around.  You also picked up
and threw that huge crate filled with books."  Pandora pointed her finger at Connor.

Connor immediately pointed at Ron.  "He turned into a dog."

"She dissolved into little blue lights and froze the snake-thing."  Ron pointed at Pandora.  The three of them stood like that for a few moments.  "So, who's going to go first?"

The accusing fingers dropped.  Connor's gaze went from Pandora to Ron. One of them did have to go first.  "I'm the miracle offspring of two vampires.  My vampire mother dusted herself so I could be born and ever since then assorted demon cults and all around evil guys have been
trying to either convert me or kill me.  My father is a vampire cursed with his soul by gypsies and he's a warrior for the Powers That Be. My Mom is his Seer.  Along with my aunt and uncles, they fight evil and protect me."

"My mother is a witch.  She and my Aunts are the Charmed Ones, they fight evil with the Power of Three.  My father is their white-lighter, a guardian angel for good witches.  Mom named me after her older sister who died fighting demons and her mother - Pandora Patricia Prudence
Halliwell - and by doing that she inadvertently gave me the Power of Three too, all of it, I don't share it with anyone else, and because of that the Source has been trying to kill me since the day I was born."

"My mother's a witch too.  She, my Dad, and I have been on run ever since I was born.  We're hiding from my biological father.  He wants to
sacrifice me to his Dark Lords in exchange for stronger magical power."

A short silence followed as they each digested the others' confessions. "Let me get this straight.  Our parents are weird.  Our lives are in mortal danger.  And we've got to get rid of this Cellar Serpent before it starts stinking up the place." Ron grinned.  "Well, someone's gotta say it and it might as well be me.  I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  Extremely odd, but beautiful."

Pandora and Connor both returned Ron's grin and they all laughed.  Ron was right.  How could they not be friends?  Once you've hacked up and
buried the body of a Silear Nathair, more commonly known as the Cellar Serpent, you really had no choice because that's what friendships are built on.
 

Part Three

The building that housed the evil of Wolfram and Hart had changed very little over the years.  The more modern conveniences and toys were
added of course - a neural net computer system and virtual art displayed in the reception area - but the same old vampire detector
protected the front entrance and the Picasso still hung on the wall. Demons never let go of the past while taking over the future.  When he
entered the reception area, Lindsey MacDonald felt nothing.  Not fear. Not regret.  Nothing - except determination.

"I would like to see Ms. Morgan."  Lindsey frowned slightly at the receptionist's profile.  He remembered her.  Christie.  She looked
exactly the same.  "I'm an old friend."

Christie looked up at him.  Her eyes were an inky black void - no whites, no iris, no pupil.  She wasn't exactly as he remembered.
"Lindsey MacDonald."  Her voice was toneless, dispassionate.  Her head cocked to the side and she paused for a moment while she accessed the
neural net.  "Ms. Morgan will see you now.  Top floor."

"Of course."  Lindsey smiled sadly at Christie.  "Rewarded for loyal service, were you?"  He walked away to the elevators without waiting
for a response.  There wouldn't be one.  When he had left Wolfram and Hart, Christie had been a person.  She had been a pleasant, flirty
twenty-something woman who worked as a receptionist for what she thought was a normal law firm with normal clients.  Now she was merely
a golem - a mindless minion of Wolfram and Hart, her personality sucked out of her along with her soul.  That could have been him.
Sure, he would still have had his soul, but it would have been sold to the Senior Partners.

With a quiet chime, the elevator indicated it had reached the top floor.  It had barely taken a second.  The doors opened right into
Lilah's office.  It was beautifully appointed in lavender and cedar. "Lindsey."  Lilah remained seated behind her ridiculously large desk.
"What a wonderful surprise."

"You knew the minute I stepped foot into this city, Lilah."  The outer walls were comprised of large picture windows.  One was behind Lilah.
Lindsey walked over to the one adjacent to it and looked down over the city.  "Nice office, by the way."

"I really have you to thank for it.  If you hadn't flaked, I might have actually had some competition.  Gavin lasted just over a year."  Lilah
smirked.  She folded her hands on her desk.  "So, what brings you here?  Looking for a job?"

Lindsey snorted.  "Hardly."  He turned from the window to face his former rival.  She was so much more dangerous to him now.  But he
couldn't let her know it.  "You know why I'm here."

"Ah, yes, your happy home.  Does the little woman know all about your sordid past?  Maybe I should stop by for coffee and girl talk."

"You will go no where near her."  Lindsey's fists clenched.  "Aria knows everything anyway."

"You know, I never pictured you as the protective family man."  Lilah sat back and appraised Lindsey.  She had never seen him in anything
but a suit and tie.  Now he wore jeans and a dark grey t-shirt and they looked good on him.  He could have used a haircut though.

"I've always pictured you as a power hungry bitch." Lindsey crossed over to the desk and leaned over it.  If he remembered correctly - and
he always did - invading her personal space unnerved Lilah.  "I'm not here to take down Wolfram and Hart or join the forces of good or even
take your job - we both know I could have it - I'm just here to live my life with my family.  If you do anything to upset that, Lilah, well....
I still have this evil hand."  He placed his hand over her throat.  He didn't apply pressure, just the threat.

Lilah swallowed compulsively once Lindsey lowered his hand.  She hated it that Lindsey could still make her afraid of him.  She had made it
to the top floor.  He had walked away when it had all been in the palm of his hand.  "You know I can't promise you anything.  If the Senior
Partners decide that you are a threat...."

"Then convince them I'm not unless I'm provoked.  If anyone connected to Wolfram and Hart so much as stares at my family I'll go to Angel
and give him the last scroll.  You know, the one that tells him exactly who the Senior Partners are and how to kill them."  Lindsey stayed long
enough to watch the blood drain completely from Lilah's face and then turned and left.  He had made his point.

As Lindsey left the building, he passed the reception desk.  Christie was flirting with a delivery man.  Her eyes were a sparkling blue and
her smile gleamed brightly as she laughed.  Apparently, she had been left with enough to present a convincing facade for unsuspecting,
naive civilians.  She waved at Lindsey as he left.  It made him feel sad.  Once the doors swished closed behind him and he was standing in
the brilliant afternoon sunlight, the sadness left.  The confrontation with Lilah had exhausted him.  Lindsey could only hope that it worked.

*****

It was hard, dirty, slimy work only made more difficult by the fact that they didn't have the proper tools.  Connor had pried apart the
metal from a desk and had sharpened it against the basement's brick wall.  He and Ron used the makeshift knives to carve up the Cellar
Serpent into more manageable pieces while Pandora searched for the sewer entrance Connor knew was down there somewhere.

"Do you remember where it was on the blueprint?"  Pandora called from across the room.  "East side?  West?"

"Nope.  I just looked to see if there was one in case of emergencies." Connor gave one last whack to his piece of the serpent and tossed it
into a crate they had emptied of books and filled with demon parts.  He had started at the head while Ron took the tail and they had finally
met in the middle.  Ron tossed his last piece into the crate as well. The lubricating slime that had covered the demon spattered them as it
hit the other parts.  Connor grimaced.  "Remind me never to do this for a living."

"Yeah, it really is just an interesting hobby sort of thing."  Ron took Connor's piece of metal from him and he put their impromptu carving
knives into the crate with the chopped up demon.  He wiped his hands on his jeans.  "Find it yet?" he yelled to Pandora.

"No.  One would think that if one was planning on using the sewer entrance in case of emergencies that one would pinpoint exactly where
in the basement said entrance was located."  Pandora came around a crate.  Dust caked her hair and clothes, especially in the places
dotted with serpent slime.

"Yes, one would," Ron agreed.  "But since he didn't, let me try a little trick my mother taught me to help me find my shoes - for some
reason it was always the left one."  Ron closed his eyes and concentrated on the sewer entrance.  "Aperio locus!"  He opened his
eyes to a glimmer of gold light in the far corner of the basement.

"Neat trick."  Connor started to push the crate toward the soft glow.

"It's called magic.  I'm a male witch, you see, so I used magic." Ron threw a glance at Pandora as they followed Connor.

"I'm not allowed to use my powers unless it is absolutely necessary." Pandora compressed her lips into a disproving line.  "What if someone
had come down here when you were casting the spell?  How would you have explained it?"

"Probably as well as I would have explained that."  Ron waved in the direction of the crate chock full of demon.

"Guys, I could use a little help here."  Connor stopped in front of the sewer entrance.  It was evident what role he would have in this troika
of friendship - referee.  "I'll go down first and then you two can guide it down to me."  Connor jumped down through the manhole and they
accomplished their task quickly.  Once all three of them were in the sewer, another problem presented itself.

"So, now what?  Do we just leave it here?"  Ron scratched his head. "It's not like this is a heavy traffic area."

"But it's still too noticeable."  Connor looked around.  His enhanced vampire eyesight saw easily into the shadows.  "There's some kind of
door over there."  He hauled the crate the few feet to it.

"It's an overflow pipe.  They open it up when there's heavy rains." Pandora smiled approvingly at Connor.  It was perfect.  If the pipe
was ever opened it would be to let a flood of water through which would destroy the crate and carry the remains out into the ocean.

"How does it open?"  Ron closely examined the tightly closed door. There was no handle, no lock.

"Computer," Pandora answered simply.  She was starting to feel comfortable with Connor and Ron.  They accepted her for who she really
was.  She reached out and stopped Connor from ripping the door open. "Don't do that.  The computer will register a malfunction and they'll
send someone down to fix it.  Let me try something."

Connor and Ron stood back.  Pandora took a few deep breaths.  She could do this, she had been practicing with her Aunt Paige.  "Crate.  In
pipe."  A blue light swirled around the crate.  It wavered a bit, but finally it overwhelmed the crate and it dispersed into tiny lights.
A flash of blue between the cracks of the door told them that the crate had reached its destination.  "I did it."

"Yeah.  Why didn't you do it before so Connor didn't have to haul it all the way down here?"

Pandora blushed.  "I don't have a lot of control over my powers yet. I can only orb short distances and I need a specific location.  If I
had just tried to orb the demon remains out of the basement, it could have ended up anywhere."

"Like Amanda Vespy's desk?"  Connor smirked.  He didn't know it, but he looked an awful lot like his father's soulless counterpart, Angelus,
at that moment.

Ron laughed.  He glanced at his watch.  "It looks like we're not going to be dealing with her again today.  School is almost over."

"What?  We missed the whole afternoon!"  Pandora let out a weird squeaking noise and raced to the sewer entrance, disappearing up into
the basement.

"Hey, running now won't make you on time," Ron called.  He and Connor ran after her and finally caught up to her on the stairs.

"I skipped school.  I can't believe I skipped school.  It's only the second day.  What are they going to do?  Kick us out?"

"Nothing that drastic." Ron caught Pandora's arm before she opened the basement door and stepped out into the hall.  "They will probably just
give us detention, but we'll need to get our stories straight.  There's no way we can tell the truth."

"Are they going to call our parents?"

"Oh, yeah, if they haven't already.  And about our parents, are we going to share everything with them about today?  Because, personally,
Mom will freak and we'll be moving again."

"My parents won't like it either.  Vampire with a soul who fights evil or not, they'll think it's a trap set by the Source."  Pandora looked
apologetically at Connor.

Connor nodded in understanding.  He knew all about overprotective parents.  "I think we should keep this to ourselves.  So, what were we
doing this afternoon?"

Each of them pondered that question for a few minutes, but before they could come up with an answer the door opened.  "There you are!  I've
been looking all over the school for you three."  Ms. Foster stood in the doorway.  She frowned severely as she ushered them out into the
hall.  "There's only five minutes left of school.  What were you doing in the basement?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Foster."  Pandora bit her lip.  "I felt sick and I, uh, had a seizure when I was outside.  I got disoriented and ended up
wandering around the basement.  Connor and Ron found me and they were helping me."

Ms. Foster's face was immediately etched with worry.  "Are you alright, dear?  Do you need to go to the hospital?  Why didn't one of you boys
come and get a teacher?"  She guided the children into their classroom.

"She got upset when one of us started to leave.  We thought it would be better if we stayed and kept her calm," Connor offered.

"I don't need a hospital, Ms. Foster.  My Uncle Cole is supposed to pick me up and I'll tell my Mom about the seizure when I get home.
She'll make an appointment with my specialist."  Pandora collected her things.  "Can we go now?  I am really sorry about missing classes this
afternoon and for making Connor and Ron miss them too."

"You can go.  And we won't worry about missing class this time."  Ms. Foster smiled at Connor and Ron.  "Thank you, boys, for helping
Pandora, but next time I want you to get a teacher."

"Yes, Ma'am."  Connor and Ron nodded.  They gathered their things and all three of them got out of there as fast as they could.

"I can't believe you got us out of detention and she didn't even say anything about calling our parents."  Ron looked at Pandora with awe.
Being friends with a girl might not be so bad.

"I can't either.  I guess we can thank my parents for telling the school that I had a history of seizures just in case I did have a
vision during class."  Pandora smiled wearily.  As they spotted their rides, they waved good-bye to each other and split up.

*****

The house was spotless, even though they had moved in only a week ago. Lindsey knew it was because his wife was worried.  Worried about
Wolfram and Hart and worried about their son.  The worry gave her a lot of restless energy to work off.  "Honey, we're home," Lindsey called
out the cliched greeting.  He winked at Ron, who grinned back at him.

"Yeah, Mom, we both made it home alive."

"That is not funny, Ron Weasley."  Aria MacDonald walked from the kitchen to the front room.  She was a pretty woman with dirty blond
hair and light green eyes.  At least that was what the world saw. Lindsey and her son, Ron, saw her real self.  A beautiful woman with
red hair and darker emerald green eyes who was once known as Willow Rosenberg.  With the appearance glamor in place, her own parents
wouldn't have been able to recognize her and that was the way Willow wanted it.  "There's a snack for you in the kitchen."

"Okay.  Can I play a game on your laptop?"

"Go for it."  Willow smiled indulgently as her son dropped his school bag on the floor and rushed into the kitchen.  She turned back to her
husband and gave him a welcome home kiss.  "How did it go today?"

"Fine.  I confronted Lilah, told her to leave us alone.  Threatened her life if she didn't."  Lindsey sat down on the couch.  He ran his hand
through his hair.

"I'm sorry."  Willow sat down beside him.  She reached over and rubbed the back of his neck soothingly.  She knew how much it was costing him
to drudge up the person he used to be.  "Maybe we shouldn't have moved here."

"No, it was the right decision despite the complications.  We have to face up to our pasts, Willow, so Ron can have a future."  Lindsey took
Willow's hand from his neck and held it.  "You have to contact Angel. If I can't protect you and Ron then he can."

Willow was already shaking her head.  "No, I can't.  I can't put my friends in danger again because of my stupid mistakes."  She pulled her
hand from Lindsey's grasp and stood up.  "They probably hate me anyway after what I did to Dawn and Buffy.  Dawn could have died and
Buffy was pulled out of Heaven because of me."

"I can't see how these people who call themselves your friends could hate you.  Explain to them what's going on.  You haven't done anything
evil, Willow.  Trust me, I know evil."  Lindsey stood up and caught Willow's shoulders.  He tilted her chin up and smiled at her.  "At the
very least, Angel will help you because it's his job."

"Yeah.  I'll explain to Angel how I've been living with the man whose hand he cut off for the last ten years.  That will go a long way
toward convincing him of my non-evil ways."  Willow quirked a smile back at Lindsey.  She stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a quick peck
to his lips.  "Let's not fight about this today, we'll pick it up tomorrow when you're less stressed."

"Okay."  Lindsey let Willow lead him to the kitchen.  "How's the new computer game coming?"

"Great, I had a breakthrough today and it's almost finished."  Willow chattered easily about her work, but she was still worried.  Her son
was in danger from his biological father on a daily basis - that was nothing new - but now the man she called her husband was in danger
from his old life.  She wished she could go to Angel, but she couldn't stand to see the closed off expression on his face as she told her
story.  The disappointment.  She didn't want Angel to help her because it was his job.  She wanted him to help her because she was his friend,
but that wouldn't happen.  Rack had made sure that she had no friends. At least she had Lindsey and Ron.
 

Part Four

Family dinners were a tradition in the Halliwell home.  At least once a week, they made a point of having the whole family together for a meal. Piper would cook something that was someone's favorite food and they would all gather together and discuss the family business of demon hunting and any other issues that had come up.  There were always issues when three adult sisters and two of their significant others lived in the same house.

"So, Pan, how was school today?"  Piper cast a guarded look at Phoebe and Cole.  They were studiously ignoring each other and the tension at the table was palatable.  She definitely did not want to start the dinner with their issues.  Piper passed the mashed potatoes to her daughter.  "Did you make any new friends?"

Pandora scooped some potatoes onto her plate as she considered her answer.  She had never lied to her parents before.  She had never really lied to anyone before.  It would probably be best to start by omission.  "Yeah, I did."  Pandora bit her lip and passed the ceramic bowl with red stripes to her Aunt Paige.  "I had a premonition today about this girl.  She was in the basement and she was in danger.  I went down there to check it out and she went back upstairs and nothing happened to her.  These boys had seen me when I was having the premonition and they found me in the basement and I pretended that I was upset and sick and they helped me.  I told the teacher that it was a seizure and I was under the care of a specialist.  I missed my afternoon classes."  Pandora finally took a breath.  She looked up.

Five adults were staring at her.  "Well," Paige said from beside her, offering Pandora a quirky smile, "It sounds like an interesting second day of school.  Who are these new friends you made today?  The girl you saved from possible impending danger or the boys who helped you?"

"The boys.  Connor and Ron.  They're new too."

"Did they think there was anything strange about your 'seizure?'" Piper asked carefully.  Her daughter was alienated enough - with the premonitions, the powers, the expectations of the Elders - she didn't need her mother making her feel like a freak too.

"No, they didn't think it was strange at all."  Technically, it wasn't a lie.  Connor and Ron thought premonitions, magic, and battling large serpentine demons was perfectly normal.

"It's a good thing we notified the school of your medical history of 'seizures' then."  At her father's smile, Pandora's guilt intensified. She didn't say anything though.  For the first time in her life, she had something apart from her family.  As guilty as lying made her feel, the surge of independence Pandora was experiencing was too fulfilling to give up.

*****

There was no milk and cookies waiting for Connor when he got home from his second day of school.  The office was quiet as each of the adults,
except for Cordelia who had picked him up, was engrossed in their research.  Fred was busy on the computer, her hair done up in its usual loose, curly ponytail and the neural pads that connected her to the computer and internet were secured to her temples.  They still had the older model computer with the screen and the temporary neural pads. No one in the office had went for neural implants for the simple reason that they did not need Wolfram and Hart attempting to hack into any of the AI team's brains.  Wesley and Fred both suspected that the law firm often used the neural net to influence judges and jurists to their clients' advantage.

"Mom, what's going on?" Connor looked up at his mother as Wesley walked past them, muttering to himself.  He didn't look up from his book.
Whatever was going on,  Connor knew it was important, because even Uncle Gunn and Uncle Lorne were pitching in with research.

"We've started the search for your Aunt Willow again.  We've got some new information and she might be in trouble."  Cordelia took off her jacket and walked over to Angel's desk.  He was sitting with his elbows on the desk, his head in his hands.  Willow's letters were spread out in front of him.  "Angel, we're home.  Any luck?"

Angel looked up and smiled wearily.  He rubbed his hand through his hair.  "Hey.  The letters aren't telling me anything about where she was when she wrote them.  She doesn't drop any hints - nothing about the weather, what she's doing, friends - and if you read between the lines, the only thing you know is that she's not fine.  She's alone and very scared.  I never should have given up looking for her."

"You'll find her, Dad, and when you do I can finally thank her for all the cool presents she's sent me."  Connor eyed the old, mysterious books on the office shelves with anticipation.  He was only allowed to look at them under strict supervision and certain conditions.  He was also only allowed to look at the ones deemed 'safe' by his parents. "Can I help?"

"No." Cordelia nixed the hopeful gleam in her son's eyes before Angel could.  She ruffled his hair as a consolation prize.  "Now that you're a school-faring boy, you have homework to do."

"Uh, yeah."  Connor looked down at his feet.  He had to tell them something, Ms. Foster would probably mention how he missed a whole afternoon of classes eventually.  "Something happened today."

"What!  Why didn't you say something right away?" Cordelia grabbed Connor by his arms.  She frantically searched his limbs for broken bones while she looked for any visible bumps or bruises.  "Are you okay, honey?  Who hurt you?"

While Cordelia reassured herself that Connor was in one piece, Angel's eyes flashed yellow and he let out a low growl.  "Were you attacked?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Connor shook his head vehemently and struggled out of Cordelia's grasp.  They had made a wise decision when he, Pandora, and Ron had agreed not to tell their parents about the Cellar Serpent or their mutual supernaturalness.  His parents were freaking out and he hadn't even said anything yet.  "I'm fine.  That girl I told you about yesterday, Pandora, she had a seizure at lunch."

"Is she okay?" Cordelia managed to ask as she sat down in an office chair.  Her heart was thumping madly.  Now that she knew Connor wasn't in immediate danger or hurt, it was starting to slow a bit.

"She's fine.  She was a bit disoriented after and Ron and I found her wandering in the basement.  She got upset if one of us tried to leave, so we stayed with her until she felt better and we all missed afternoon classes."

"Did you explain everything to your teacher?"  Cordelia asked.  Her heart was back to its normal rhythm, but she was still shaky.  She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to Connor.

"Yeah, she said we weren't in any trouble and if it happens again we should get a teacher."

"Thank you for telling us.  You should get to your homework now." Angel watched his son leave the office.  He was relieved that Connor was okay and proud that his son had helped out a classmate.  A female classmate.  Angel frowned, remembering the conversation he and Gunn had before Anya's visit.  "Cordelia, do you think I should have the, uh, birds and bees talk with Connor?  He seems to like this Pandora girl a lot."

"Angel, they're eleven." Cordelia rolled her eyes.  "I know back in your day they were marrying off kids at the age of thirteen, but we don't do that anymore."

"I'm not that old.  Girls were around sixteen or seventeen when they got married when I was human."

"Wow, I never realized that you were an old maid, Angel."  Cordelia smirked at his scandalized expression.  She decided to take pity on him and return to the subject at hand.  "Don't worry, Angel, I gave Connor the technical details when he asked where babies come from when he was eight.  That was when Xander and Anya came to visit and she was pregnant with Brenden, remember.  I told him it was a physical expression of love between two adults, but I guess if you want to you can give him the guy sex talk.  Doesn't that just consist of you clearing your throat awkwardly a lot and then slapping him on the back after handing him a Playboy?  I really think you should wait until Connor is fifteen or sixteen for that.  Actually, I would appreciate it if you would...."

"Jumping Jehosphat!" Angel was saved from the rest of Cordelia's harangue by Lorne's yell.  The green-skinned reader demon walked into the office, his red eyes blazing with excitement.  "Why didn't you tell me you had tracked the little witch to Milwaukee?  I got a contact there."

"You know someone from Milwaukee?" Angel couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.  "You've been to Milwaukee?"

"I know I give the impression of a horrible homebody, but I have traveled a bit.  It's a long story, but the gist is I was headed to New York under the misguided notion that the bright lights of Broadway were calling my name.  Unfortunately, I accepted a ride with a Travois demon - they specialize in road trips being nomadic demons - but the funny thing about Travois demons is that...."

"Lorne, make it a shorter story." Angel stood up.  He took the file from Lorne's hands.  A photograph of Willow with Buffy, Anya, and Dawn was paper clipped in front.  It had been the most recent picture Xander had taken of 'his girls' and he had sent it to Angel when they had begun their search for Willow all those years ago.  It had been taken a few days after Buffy's resurrection, all four girls were smiling, but Anya was the only one who was happy.  Beneath the three other smiles, Buffy looked empty, Dawn looked scared, and Willow looked sad.  Even then she had been sad.

"Travois demons have a terrible sense of direction, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Milwaukee.  That's where I met Tanya, she's a Dispero demon.  She helps people and demons find their direction in life and if need be, she helps them find a new life.  She told me to hightail my sweet hinny back to L. A....."

"Your friend helped Willow disappear," Angel interrupted Lorne.  He walked back to the desk and set down the file.  He picked up the phone. "Call her.  Find out where she helped Willow disappear to."

"It won't be that easy, Angel-cakes."

"Make it that easy.  Please."  Angel held out the phone.

*****

It was moments like this that Willow treasured.  Ron was at the kitchen table doing his homework.  Lindsey was helping her with the dishes. It was all so normal.  It was like they had lived here as a family forever instead of gallivanting across the country like the fugitives they were.  She wished she had never met Rack, but then she wouldn't have Ron and he was the most important thing in her life.  She had never loved anyone as completely as she loved her little boy.  He was nothing like his father.  Willow shivered as Rack's face popped into her mind.  She hated thinking about him.  She always had this paranoid notion that he knew when she was thinking about him and could use it to track her and Ron.

"Are you okay?" Lindsey's voice calmed her fears a bit.  Willow had just begun thinking of him by that name.  Before he had always been Mac, her friend and savior.  When they had decided to move to L. A. when Mac had gotten a record deal, he had insisted that he go back as Lindsey MacDonald.  His stage name was still Mac MacDonald, but he wanted his family and friends to call him Lindsey again.  He said he wanted to reclaim his name from evil.  He wanted to be able to introduce himself as Lindsey MacDonald and be proud.  Willow was proud of him.  He was a great man.

"I'm fine."  Willow smiled up at him.  She took the last plate from the sink and handed it to Lindsey.  He put it away in the cupboard while she shut off the sonic pulses that blasted the food and germs from the dishes.

"Really?" Lindsey could tell Willow was preoccupied.  With what, he could only guess.  Being in the same city as Angel and being so close to Sunnydale was probably unnerving her.  He knew being so close to Wolfram and Hart and the evil that he once was a part of was unsettling for him.  Lindsey wished that Willow would confront her old friends as he had confronted Lilah.  That way he could give that self righteous, hypocritical vampire a piece of his mind.  Rack had taken advantage of Willow and her friends had turned away from her on his word.  But Lindsey couldn't very well tell Angel any of that or give him the sucker punch he deserved if Willow refused to come forward and continued to hide from them.

"Yes, really."  Willow laughed softly.  She reached up and gave Lindsey a peck on the cheek.  "Don't be such a worry wart, Mac - I mean, Lindsey.  I won't hide forever, I promise.  I just need a little more time."  She let Lindsey gather her in his arms for a comforting hug before she pulled away.  If she stayed in his warm embrace she would cry.  "Ron, how's the homework coming?"

"Okay.  I'm almost finished." Ron's nose stayed buried in his grammar text.

"Wow, this is a lot of homework for the second day," Lindsey commented as he and Willow joined their son at the table.  He picked up one of the books.  "They're driving you hard at this school."

The time had come.  Ron had been waiting for an opportunity to mention what had happened that afternoon to his parents and it had finally come up.  He fiddled with his pencil and set his book down to face them.  "I kind of have to catch up because I missed classes this afternoon."

"You skipped school?"  Willow couldn't believe it.  She knew that Ron was more daring and confident than she had been at his age, but she had thought she had instilled in him a sense of responsibility.  Maybe this unstable lifestyle with all the moving around had made her son into some kind of delinquent.

"No, not intentionally."  Ron unknowingly put a halt to the visions of him hanging out in alleys and smoking that were running through his mother's mind.  "You remember Pandora, the girl I told you about yesterday?  She's new too and so is Connor...."

"Connor?"  Willow interrupted.  Connor was the name of Angel's son. She saw Ron nod as he went on with the rest of his story.  This Connor he was talking about couldn't be Angel's son, he was some other boy with the same name.  She was being silly, what would Angel's son be doing at a Catholic school?  But the same question could be asked about her son.  Willow listened with half an ear as Ron explained about Pandora's seizure and disorientation.  Her son's new friend couldn't be Angel's son.  Connor's life was in constant danger from various vampire cults and demons.  There was no way that Angel would let the boy out of his sight and away from his protection.  No, Ron's friend was a different Connor.  Not Angel's son.

*****

It was an unconventional meeting place, but ever since they had killed the Silear Nathair and discovered that they weren't alone in hiding their real selves, the basement had become comfortable.  The hidden stash of heavy metal music had disappeared, so they didn't have to worry about the girl Pandora had saved from coming back.  It had become a habit for Pandora, Connor, and Ron to bring their lunches to the basement and spend the lunch hour there instead of in the cafeteria or outside in the courtyard. It gave Pandora a brief respite from Amanda's taunting and the guys a chance to show off their respective powers.

"Cool!" Ron looked on with envy as Connor twisted a metal bar with the ease of someone wringing a towel.

"It's just strength."  Connor shrugged and set the bar down.  "You can do magic," he pointed out.

"That's right.  I am a male witch."  Ron grinned.  He waved his hand and the book in Pandora's hand jerked out of her grasp and floated high in air.

"Ron, you shouldn't be using you powers and neither should you, Connor."  Pandora frowned disapprovingly at them.  She held out her hand.  "Give it back."

"You're a witch.  Take it."  Ron floated the book even higher.  "Come on, Dory, you know you're dying to show us what you can do.  Think of it as practice."

"Ron."  Pandora stood up.  She reached up toward the book.  "I don't have complete control over my powers like you.  I could blow it up."

"Then I owe you a history book.  Try it."

"Yeah, Dory, you can do it," Connor offered encouragement.

Pandora bit her lip.  She gestured toward the book and it froze in place.  "Damn," she muttered.  "Bring it down, please."

"Okay."  Ron waved his hand.  The book didn't move.  "Oops.  I can't move it with your freezing spell on it."

"Great.  What are we going to do if someone comes down here?  How are we going to explain a book frozen in mid-air?"

"Don't be so paranoid, Dory.  No one ever comes down here."

Connor laughed as his friends launched into an argument that had become very familiar over the last three weeks.  Ron was always showing off his powers and Pandora always scolded him about getting caught.  The argument always ended in a good natured stalemate, so Connor usually stayed out of it until they were finished.  He didn't know that much about magic and its practice.  His Aunt Willow was a witch and all discussions of magic had been a sore subject around his home because it brought back memories of her.  It was especially touchy now because his family was hitting nothing but dead ends trying to find her.  Out of curiosity, Connor interrupted his arguing friends to ask, "Ron, aren't you a warlock?"

In the resounding silence that followed Connor's question, the freezing spell ended and the book dropped to the cement floor with a loud bang.
Ron was white, his orange freckles standing out like speckles on an egg.  Pandora shivered.  Finally, she took pity on their new friend. "Warlocks are evil, Connor.  They steal witches' powers.  Ron is a male witch."

"Oh."  For the first time in his young life, Connor felt a fear that had nothing to do with death.  He was afraid that he had lost his best friend because he had asked a stupid question.  "I'm sorry, Ron.  I didn't know...I didn't mean...."

"I know."  Ron swallowed and offered his friends a weak smile.  "It's okay.  It's a common mistake, like thinking I'm a wizard."

"Of course it is.  Let's get back to class.  We wouldn't want to be late."  Pandora herded them both to the stairs.

"You guys are still coming to my place after school, right?"  Connor hoped he hadn't messed things up.  They had just decided to take the next step in their friendship and spend time together after school at each others' homes.  They had decided on Connor's first because neither Pandora or Ron had ever met a real vampire before, not that Connor's Dad would realize that fact.  When he had asked his Mom and Dad if his friends could come over to visit, they had been so excited.  He would hate to disappoint them and himself.

"That's the plan."  Ron shook off his shock.  It was just a question. Connor hadn't been accusing him of anything, just asking a question. "Hey, Dory, you forgot your book."  Ron turned to get it, but it dissolved in a swirl of blue light and ended up in Pandora's hand. "Excuse me, Pandora Halliwell, but what would you have done if someone had saw that?  How would you have explained yourself?"

"Ron's right."  Connor shook his head gravely.  "You really shouldn't flaunt your powers like that, Dory."

"Shut up."  Pandora tossed her hair and walked ahead of them.

*****

The little snot monsters had finally vacated the building.  Lilah walked carefully down the middle of the hallway, there was no way she was going to get any kid-ick on her new suit.  It was an original Charlemagne.  She stopped at a classroom that had a young, pretty teacher sitting at a desk correcting homework.

"Hello."  Lilah walked into the room and stood in front of the desk. "I'm here to check on the progress of my Godson."

"Connor Chase is doing very well.  He has fit in effortlessly with the other children.  He displays an eagerness to learn, a concern for the welfare of his fellow class-mates, as well as super-strength.  He has befriended a witch and a male witch and the three of them killed the Silear Nathair that dwelled in the basement."  Lana Foster set the twisted bar she had retrieved from the basement on her desk.  She looked up at Lilah, her eyes twin pits of blackness.  "Is there any more information that you require, Ms. Morgan?"

"Not at the moment, but keep your eyes open.  I will need every little detail about my precious Godson."  Lilah opened her briefcase.  She took out an orange piece of paper with black lettering announcing 'Parent/Teacher Night.'  "First, I have a task for you to perform. Make sure Angel gets this."
 

Part Five

The Art of Decapitation. The title stared up at Cordelia from the book laying casually on an end table in the hotel's lobby. She picked it up and carried it to the offices. "Wesley, I thought I told you to make sure all of your books were locked away." She held out the offending object.

Wesley glanced at the title. "That's Angel's." He took the book anyway and locked it away in a glassed cabinet with the other paranormal books and scrolls that Angel Investigations owned.

Cordelia spun on her heel and turned her disproving glare on the vampire. "Angel! You know that Connor is bringing his friends home to visit today. Why would you leave that book laying around? Don't you want your son to be normal? We have to be normal. And perfect. This is very important. I can't believe you!" Cordelia moved on to rearranging things, making sure everything looked 'normal' and 'perfect.'

As they watched Cordelia whip herself into a nervous frenzy, Fred leaned across her desk toward Gunn. "I think Cordelia needs a vacation."

"She does need to chill." Gunn nodded his head in agreement. Both of them ducked their heads and pretended to be working when Cordelia's gaze sharpened on them. The sound of the front door opening and Connor calling out saved them from further scrutiny.

"They're here." Cordelia straightened her clothing and headed for the office door that led out into the lobby. Before walking through, she whirled around with her finger raised in warning. "Okay, everyone, be normal!" Then she swept out into the lobby.

"Well, you heard her." Angel shrugged. He stood up and followed Cordelia out of the office. He was anxious to meet his son's friends and give a 'normal' impression too, he just wasn't nuts like his Seer.

"Hey, Mom, Dad. These are my friends, Pandora and Ron." Connor waved in each person's direction as an introduction. "And that's my Uncle Wesley, Aunt Fred, and Uncle Gunn."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, kids." Cordelia beamed. "How was school? Would you like a snack?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Chase," Pandora smiled. Connor's parents were really nice. She knew that his father was a vampire and his mother was a Seer, but they both looked so normal. But then she grew up in a house with three witches who were the Charmed Ones, a white-lighter, and an ex-demon. She wasn't exactly an expert on normal. "School was interesting."

"Only if you define interesting as staring at a board while the teacher drones semi-useful information," Ron cut in.

Pandora threw Ron an exasperated look. "Don't be rude," she hissed under her breath, but Angel caught it and he suppressed a smile. He liked these kids. Ron seemed to be fun and easy-going - something that his son sorely needed in his life - and Angel had confidence that Pandora was more than capable of keeping the boys in line.

"Angel," a whispered voice cam from the staircase. It was Lorne and with the children's presence he could hardly walk out into the open. Not without shattering Cordelia's illusion of normalcy. "Angel, I need to see you and the rest of the crew. We have a visitor."

Angel made a motioning gesture toward the office behind his back and turned his attention back to the kids. His gaze met Connor's concerned look. Luckily, his son had inherited his keen sense of hearing. "I'm going to show Ron and Dory the courtyard." Connor ushered his friends out the door.

"Lorne needs to see us." Angel led the way back into the office where Lorne was standing next to a squat, grey blur. The most distinguishing feature of a Dispero demon was their complete lack of distinguishing features - or any features.

"This is Tanya, the friend I was telling you about. She handled your friend's disappearing act." Lorne frowned at his blurry friend. "Don't look at me like that, Tanya, there are extenuating circumstances. Now, tell them where you stashed the girl."

"I can't do that. Demon/client privilege." The voice was high pitched in a feminine manner. "How do I know your friends aren't the people she was running from?"

"Because we're her friends." Cordelia went over to Angel's desk and rifled through it until she produced an envelope. She brought it to Tanya and held it out. "She writes to us to let us know she's okay."

"We think she's still in trouble," Angel added. "She shouldn't be alone. She needs her friends. Us."

Tanya didn't take the offered letter of proof. Her form clouded in a darker shade of grey. "I can't go around telling people where my clients have disappeared to. It'll ruin my business. Besides, if she's a smart person she would have disappeared again on her own using non-magical means. I advised her to use the identity I have her only until she had established another one."

"Perhaps we could track her once you've given us the identity you supplied Miss Rosenberg with." Wesley sat down at the computer. "I can assure you Miss...uh, Ma'am, that we will not disclose that you were the source of our information."

"And as a private investigation business we get lots of people who want to disappear. We could refer them to you," Fred added brightly.

"Alexandria Potter. I sent her to New York, a nice big city to get lost in."

"Luckily computers make that especially difficult to do." Wesley relayed the information into the neural net. "Alexandria Potter lived in Manhattan in 2002 and worked at the Pritchard Theatre Off Broadway as a set designer and understudy for the female lead."

"Willow?" Cordelia stood with open-mouthed, incredulous shock. "Our Willow worked in a theatre? As an actor! But she had horrible stage fright. I remember this one time when we had a talent show that Giles was wrangled into directing and that horrible Snyder made Willow, Buffy, and Xander participate. She just ran off the stage without saying a word."

"She probably thought that no one would look for her there." Angel massaged Cordelia's shoulders affectionately. They were so close to finding Willow. Then they could bring her back home, she would make a great addition to the team. She could stay at the hotel, they had plenty of rooms, and Connor could get to know his Aunt Willow.

"She terminated her employment after two months." Wesley frowned and mumbled something about death certificates and social security applications. "Ah-ha! Two weeks before Alexandria Potter quit her job, a Marina Allen applied for a Virginia State driver's licence. She fits Miss Rosenberg's description in height and weight. I'll try to find the licence photo...Oh, dear."

"What?" Cordelia leaned forward, but she couldn't see the computer screen. Wesley had that reluctant look on his face, the one he got when he had information he knew no one wanted to hear. "Did she change identities again? Have we hit another dead end?"

"Well, uh..." Wesley went through some of his stalling motions - rubbing his forehead, adjusting and cleaning his glasses, clearing his throat.

"Cut it out, Wesley, and just tell us!" Cordelia tensed under Angel's hands.

"There was a car accident, it was raining and the police believe that weather conditions contributed to the accident. The car careened off an embankment and exploded. Marina Allen died on March 23rd, 2003."

"No." Cordelia shook her head. The envelope crumpled in her hand. "Willow can't be dead."

"She isn't." Angel took the envelope from Cordelia's hand. "You've got the wrong person, Wes. Willow has been sending us letters and Connor packages for the past eleven years."

"That's part of the service." Tanya's shape had turned a misty white. "Your friend paid for ten years, but I threw in the extra year because I liked her and I had the extra paper. The last package and letter you got were the final ones."

"They're written in Willow's handwriting." Angel took the letter from the envelope and unfolded it. He read it once more even though he knew it by heart. "It's her cadence...the way she babbles and switches subjects...the nonsequitors...This letter is Willow."

Wisps of darkness threaded through the white mist of Tanya's form. "Of course it is. The paper is bespelled with her essence. You dump some ink on it and the words that tell of how she's feeling form. I had thought her letters were getting redundant."

"So, the essence in the paper just kept writing the last feelings it has received from Miss Rosenberg. The guilt and regret that she felt over the events in Sunnydale when she thought about Angel and Cordelia." Wesley gave his friends a sympathetic look. "The police made a positive identification on the body and included a photo in her file." Wesley turned the computer monitor's flat screen so his friends could see it. The girl in photo had dark hair and eyes, but it was Willow. "I'm sorry."

*****

The address was the same. When Ron had mentioned visiting Connor at his house, Willow had requested an address and phone number for the boy's parents. When she called a woman named Fred answered - Willow vaguely remembered Fred from when she had told Angel about Buffy's death. Her son was friends with Angel's son. Willow didn't know if she should be happy or nervous. She was happy that her son had a good friend and nervous that Angel would be able to use Ron to find her. Willow stared out her front window at the sunny California day and shivered. As much as she missed her friends, Willow didn't want them to know that she had traded her body for black magic. She loved Ron and didn't regret having him in her life, but she was ashamed of how he was conceived.

"Relax, Willow." Lindsey came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked out the window over her shoulder to the sidewalk outside. "Angel isn't going to come stalking up to our front door demanding answers before dragging you back to Sunnydale. For one thing, it's the middle of the afternoon and for another, none of them knew you were pregnant. There's no way Angel would connect Ron to you."

"I know." Willow leaned back in Lindsey's embrace. "I'm being silly. I know Angel and Cordelia and Xander and Buffy are going to find out about Ron if we want to stop running and have a half-way normal existence. They'll also want to know who...who Ron's father is. I don't want to see the looks on their faces when I tell them or hear what they think of me."

"I think you're a wonderful, beautiful, strong woman." Lindsey ran his hands up and down Willow's arms and turned her around to face him. "You accepted everything about me and my past and you've never held any of it against me. You made one mistake, Willow, and you managed to turn it around and raise a great kid. If that stupid vampire, his cheerleader seer, and those other idiots you used to know can't see that, than their opinion isn't worth caring about."

"You had a lot to do with raising that great kid." Willow smiled up at Lindsey. She hugged him closer and rested her head on his chest. "I don't know what I would have done without you all these years, Mac. Sorry, I mean Lindsey. I have to get used to calling you that."

"I don't mind being called Mac every once in a while as long as it's you." Lindsey grinned wickedly. He bent his head and brushed his lips along her jawline in a trail of kisses. "You know, my lovely wife, we have the house to ourselves...."

"But not for long." Willow sighed and pulled away. "I have to pick Ron up at Angel's."

Lindsey noted how Willow tensed up and lost her smile. She wasn't ready to confront her past face to face as he had done with Lilah. "I'll do it. I have to talk to Angel."

"Why? So, he can rip your throat out? He hates you." Willow's eyes widened in alarm and she clutched onto Lindsey's arm. She was dreading seeing Angel and Cordelia, but with the glamor in place it was doubtful that they would know it was her. Lindsey wouldn't have that safety net. Angel would recognize him as enemy right away and see him as a threat to Connor.

"He wouldn't do that - at least not in front of the kids." Lindsey pressed his lips to Willow's forehead. "Angel's going to find out I'm back in L. A. eventually and that Ron is my son. It might as well be sooner than later and come from me. It'll be okay." He gave her a reassuring smile and a wink.

"If you say so. Just make sure to duck if he takes a swing at you." Willow kissed Lindsey good-bye. She sighed again as she watched him get into the car and drive off. Angel would know everything soon enough and she just hoped that he would still consider her a friend. Even more she hoped that he would allow their sons' budding friendship to continue. Ron needed friends now and he would definitely need them when his father found them.

*****

The children were still outside in the courtyard. Connor and Ron were tossing a football back and forth while Pandora sat in the grass reading a book. The sun shone brightly down on them as they played. Connor caught the ball and glanced back at Pandora. He chucked the ball into her lap. Pandora put her book down and stood up, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. The boys just laughed and encouraged her to throw it back at them.

A strangled sob broke free from Cordelia as she watched the serene scene from the window. She sensed Angel's presence as he came up to stand behind her, not getting too close because of the window. "I used to do this a lot when I was younger - watched three children play together. I used to wish on every star I could find every night that I could be friends with Willow, Xander, and Jesse. They had so much fun, but my mother said good little girls didn't rough-house with boys. I had too much breeding to lower myself to their level." Tears fell freely from Cordelia's eyes, blurring her vision. She turned into Angel's embrace. "She can't be dead, Angel. Willow...she can't have died alone...afraid. She thought we hated her. How am I going to tell Xander?"

Angel closed his eyes and swallowed his own tears. His arms tightened around Cordelia to help quell her violent sobs. "She's in a place now where she knows we never felt that way. Willow is safe and loved wherever she is because that's what she deserves." The words were meant to comfort Cordelia and Angel sincerely hoped they did because they were hollow to him. Willow had died alone and afraid and she didn't deserve that. Whoever had made her run away from her friends and disappear from their lives was going to pay. Willow may be dead, but he wasn't going to give up on the search to find out what had happened. Why she had left and why she hadn't come to him for help.

"Did Lorne or Wesley find anything out about that warlock, Rack?" Cordelia stepped out of Angel's arms and wiped her eyes. "He's the one who turned Buffy and the others against her and why she disappeared."

"We got sidetracked by the Dispero demon. Don't worry, Cordelia, we'll find him." And send him straight to hell. Angel clenched his fists and wished he had something to hit.

"Angel!" Gunn's shout came from the front lobby. "We've got company."

The children were still outside, they didn't seem to have heard Gunn. Angel led the way into the lobby. Gunn stood by the front door, holding the sharp side of a battle axe under Lindsey MacDonald's chin. Fred hovered in the door way of the office. "I should have wished for a million dollars while I had the chance," Angel muttered and strode forward. "Cordy, make sure the kids stay outside."

"Actually, Miss Chase, could you get Ron for me please." Lindsey spoke carefully, mindful of the blade against his skin. He shot a look at Gunn. "Do you mind removing that before my son sees it."

"Your son?" Cordelia moved forward instead of leaving the room to get the children. "Ron is not your son."

"You're right. He's not my son biologically. My wife and I adopted him after his mother was killed in an accident."

A tap on the door drew everyone's attention. Gunn quickly stepped back and brought the axe down to his side as the door opened and a woman with pale skin and dark black hair walked in. "Hi, I'm Paige Matthews Halliwell. I'm supposed to pick up my niece, Pandora."

"Oh, yes, the kids are just outside." Cordelia stepped forward and shook Paige's hand. "I'm Connor's mother, Cordelia, and this is his father, Angel."

"Nice to meet you. Piper would have come, but she had a business emergency." Paige glanced around the room until her eyes fell on Gunn. "Nice axe."

"I'll go get the kids," Angel volunteered. "Why don't you come with me, Lindsey. We'll catch up on old times." Once they were out of sight, Angel grabbed Lindsey by the throat and slammed him up against the wall. Outside, they could hear the children shouting and laughing. "If you touch my son, I will kill you in the slowest, most painful way possible, you bastard." Angel let his demonic features show to make his point. "I thought I made it very clear to Wolfram and Hart that Connor was off limits in their evil games."

"I don't work for Wolfram and Hart. I quit, remember?" Lindsey reached up and pried Angel's fingers from his throat. He knew Willow would fuss over his bruises once they started to appear. "I don't want to hurt your son, Angel, I'm a father too. I have a family. A family I want to protect and I need your help."

"What makes you think I'll help you? I've helped you enough." Angel slipped into his human face and stepped back. If this was a Wolfram and Hart trick....

"This isn't for me. I need you to promise to protect my family if Wolfram and Hart decide that it's safer for them to have me dead. I need you to keep my wife and son safe from Lilah."

Lindsey's heartbeat was steady and he maintained eye contact. Angel was fairly certain that he was telling the truth. Ron was his son - not biologically - and he wasn't working for Wolfram and Hart, but still....Lindsey had spent too much time switching sides for Angel to just trust him.

"Dad," Connor called as they trooped inside. "Can we..."

"Hi, Dad, is it time to go home already?" Ron grinned. "Is Mom in a full-fledged panic attack?"

"Your Mom is fine." Lindsey ruffled his son's hair. He glanced at Angel. "She's overprotective - worries a lot about the past."

That did it. Lindsey had obviously gotten an innocent woman and boy mixed up in his evil business and now their lives were in danger. "You can tell her to stop worrying. Connor's friends are welcome here any time. Oh, Pandora, your Aunt Paige is here as well."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow at school, Connor, Ron." Pandora smiled at Angel. "Thank you for inviting me to your home, Mr. Chase."

"You're welcome, Pandora." Angel watched Lindsey's eyebrow raise at the name Pandora used, but he didn't say anything. Pandora gave a last wave to the boys and left to find her aunt.

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chase. Are we going home now, Dad?"

"We better, you're mother is waiting." Lindsey ushered Ron back toward the lobby. "And if we don't get home soon, she might try cooking something."

"Drastic! Connor, man, it's been great, but it's not worth lingering on the good-byes if it means I gotta eat something my Mom attempted to cook."

"I know the feeling." Connor grinned at his mother. "Bye, Ron." Silence descended for a few beats once the door closed behind Ron and his father. "I had fun today. It's great having friends come over and they thought everything was very normal, Mom. Thanks for letting them visit." He gave his mother and father a hug and a kiss, something he didn't do very often now that he was older. "I'll do my homework now before dinner, like I promised."

Cordelia waited for Connor to disappear upstairs. "Oh, my God! Evil Lawyer-Boy has a son. A great son who is our son's best friend. Angel, we can't tell Connor to stay away from Ron. He's so happy."

"We're not going to. Ron's a good kid, it's not his fault who his father is." Angel sat down heavily in one of the soft lobby chairs. The afternoon had been intense and emotionally draining. "Besides, Lindsey asked me to protect Ron and his mother."

"What?" Cordelia sat down beside Angel. "And you agreed?"

"Of course. He asked me to protect them if Wolfram and Hart kills him. He didn't ask me to protect him. His wife and child have nothing to do with what Lindsey was in the past, I can't let them become victims of Wolfram and Hart."

"No, you can't." Cordelia sighed. She rubbed her forehead. She felt like she used to after a vision - before she had become part demon. "I wonder what kind of woman would marry Lindsey MacDonald."

"She sounded nice on the phone," Fred offered. "Her name is Aria MacDonald. She asked about our business because I answered the phone 'Angel Investigations' and I told her about this program I'm working on that detects and calibrates fluxes in the space/time continuum - so we know when a dimensional portal opens, but I didn't tell her that part - and she had this really good idea about initializing...." Fred caught the familiar uncomprehending looks on her friends faces. She was pretty sure Aria MacDonald wouldn't look like that when she talked about physics. "Well, it was a real good idea."

"I'm sure it was. Now I can't wait to meet her." Cordelia started to smile, but it turned into a grimace as she remembered the unpleasant and heartbreaking task that lay ahead of her. "We have to tell Connor about Willow. I know he never met her, but she was still a part of his life. And I'm going to call Xander and ask him to come to L. A. I can't tell him about Willow over the phone."

The sight of Willow hunched over in the lobby waiting for him, her tear-stained face and sad eyes staring at the hotel's door, flashed in Angel's mind. She had traveled from Sunnydale to tell him of Buffy's death in person. She had held him all night and well into the next day. She would want Xander to have that same comfort. They needed to grieve together. All of them. "You better invite Buffy, Spike, and Anya as well. We'll tell them all together."

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