A Night at the Pavilion -- PG-13

[Wind Fish]

This is a stab at the Father and Son challenge. I'm not sure how I feel about Connor's 'monologue' towards the end, but it essentially covers the points I wanted with that part of the story so I guess it's okay. You guys can tell me if the story as a whole worked or not. I did get a little (lot) silly with it at times, a direct correlation to my mood when I started.

I almost didn't finish this after reading "Sweet Boy." I got depressed whenever I tried to get to the ending. Maybe that's why the last part doesn't sound as good as I thought it did in my head when I decided to write this on Sunday.

Rating: PG-13 for allusions to violence
Words: 2100+

[Wind Fish]

It had been a long battle, but Cyvus Vail was defeated. A satellite orbiting earth was hit by a passing meteor and promptly fell back to the planet, landing on Cyvus just as he was about to finish off the Destroyer. Unbeknownst to Connor, that happened to be the only way Cyvus could have been killed that would allow the memory spell to stay in place. No one was sure how that made any sense and the particular verse of the Nyazian Prophecies that would have explained it was covered by a mustard stain. The eBay seller must have been serious when he said he used the scroll as a napkin.

Incredibly thrilled with how things turned out, Connor decided that he needed to call his father immediately. During Connor's conversation with Lawrence Riley, Angel made his own phone call. Since the line was in use, Angel was forced to place a message on Connor's voice-mail, telling his son that he would be in town in two nights.

Angel arrived at Connor's door just as he said he would. The two agreed that they should have a talk in private so they went to the HP Pavilion, home of the San Jose Sharks, because no one was using it at the moment. It was in section 115 where they sat now.

"So... you've been okay?" Angel started.

Connor thought that through for a second. "All things considered, yeah, I really have been," he answered sincerely.

"Good, that's good. I want to apologize again for..."

"Look, Angel, there wasn't anything you could do with Vail's spell in place. And we handled it ourselves just fine... albeit with a little luck at the end there." Connor shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd rather talk about something other than demons, death, and downed ABC satellites."

"I don't mind. I'd like to hear about the other aspects of your life. Not that I wouldn't talk about the other things if you wanted. I don't want you to think that..."

"What do you want to know?" Connor asked in an attempt to stop his father's nervous babbling.

"How about telling me how things are going at Stanford?"

Connor winced. "So... how did you like Egypt? I've been thinking of going someday."

Angel's eyes widened. "Please don't tell me that you got kicked out of school."

"What? Oh no, nothing like that. It's just... my GPA wasn't that great this past term."

"Well, Stanford is a tough school. Even the smartest kids have trouble there." Angel didn't like the way that last part came out. "I didn't mean to imply that you're not..."

"I wasn't going to class, Angel." Connor decided not to beat around the issue.

"You weren't..." Angel had trouble comprehending that. "Why not?"

"The hangovers were just too much." There was a hint of anger mixed in with the sarcasm. "Why do you think? I had other things on my mind, other things to do. I mean, I did enough to get by but..." Connor thought of the main reason he wasn't making an effort. "I didn't think there was a point to it."

"Why would you think that?" Angel asked although he thought he had an idea.

"If the spell had broke, the Riley life wouldn't have been available for me anymore. Not the way it is now. And even with the spell in place... sometimes I wonder when I'm going to ever have a chance to actually use a degree. Holding a nine-to-five job seems very unrealistic at times."

"You could always work for the Council," Angel suggested despite his ultimate wish to keep his son as far away from that life as possible. He felt the need to do some reassuring.

"They need a programmer?" Connor was a little skeptical considering the security on the Council's network.

"I guess I don't know for sure, but the Council is shorthanded everywhere. They need all the help they can get wherever they can get it."

Connor sat considering that for a moment.

"It's just an option," Angel continued. "Something to fall back on if things don't work out as I-- you planned."

Connor nodded. "I know it's possible for me to work independently too. But hearing that there are other choices out there helps."

Satisfied with that, Angel decided to move onto other subjects. "Speaking of the Council, you haven't sent Andrew back to us yet. Should I be worried?" The question was asked good-naturedly.

"He grows on you after a while," Connor replied with a grin. "Despite anything that happened before, he's an asset. And... he's been a really good friend too."

The mention of friends reminded Connor of something he was dreading telling his dad. He decided not to put it off. "Um, there's something I think I should tell you."

"What is it?" Angel sensed that his son was nervous.

"Well, I've been seeing someone for a few months now."

"Seeing someone as in..."

"A girlfriend, yeah. Her name is Salome. Salome Simpson. She's an Art History major at Stanford."

"Yeah?" Angel asked excitedly. Off Connor's nod Angel added, "I think I like this girl already."

"Wait, you're into art?"

Angel frowned. "You didn't know that?"

"I don't think we've had a whole lot of time to talk much about ourselves."

"That's going to change," Angel declared resolutely. "I'm going to have to show you some of my drawings."

"You draw?" Connor asked in surprise. Who is this person sitting next to him?

"I've been drawing for a long time."

"What kind of things do you draw?" Connor was genuinely curious.

"Anything on my mind at the time. Lately, most of my drawings have been of you."

Connor didn't know what to say to that. After a moment something came to mind. "I'd like to see those."

"Next time I visit I'll bring what I can. But enough about that for now. Tell me more about Salome."

"Well, see, there's something important I have to tell you."

"Did you two get married?"

"Married? What? Where are you getting these assumptions from today?"

"You're nervous about something. I figured you either got married without telling me or..." A horrified look fell over Angel's face. "What kind of demon is she?"

No turning back now. Connor swallowed a lump in his throat before responding, "She's a Nyazian."

"A Nyazian? As in the..." Angel shut his eyes and put a hand to his head. "I'm getting a headache."

"Are you okay?" Connor already didn't like how this was going. He wondered if vampires could even get headaches.

"I don't believe this. She's probably just using you to fulfill a prophecy," Angel decided.

Connor stared at him for a moment. "Is this the kind of detective work you did when you ran Angel Investigations? 'Cause I'm impressed." Connor found that sarcasm came easy when he was around Angel.

"How could you get involved with a demon?"

"You mean like how I associate with you? Or Lorne?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Connor." There was an edge to Angel's voice.

"Haven't you figured it out by now? Everything I do is in an attempt to piss you off."

Angel scowled at that before verbalizing the one thought in his head. "I forbid you from seeing her."

"Okay, sure. I'll stop seeing the woman I love because you're too over protective."

The silence was overwhelming.

"The woman you... you..." Angel wasn't sure how it was possible, but he could swear he was having a heart attack.

"Yes, I'm in love with a demon." Connor sighed. "I know you don't like it, but I am."

Angel took a few unnecessary breaths to try and calm himself down. He was feeling very numb.

[Wind Fish]

Connor decided that he needed to get his father thinking about something else right now. "Hey, did I tell you about the time I killed a dragon?"

"Don't try changing the... really? A dragon?" Angel's numbness suddenly turned to fatherly pride.

Connor told the tale of the Glormax Demon and the dragon, even promising to teach Angel how to play Dungeons and Dragons sometime. The one detail Connor left out of his story was Salome's involvement. Even though he thought any sane person would see her role as proof that she was trustworthy, Connor didn't want his father thinking about her right now. He wanted Angel's head to be clear when he tried to explain his feelings in terms a father would understand.

"So you weren't scared at all when it was charging at you?" Angel asked when Connor finished his story.

"Nah. I've been in worse situations."

Angel didn't like to be reminded of that, but he did think of something else. "That's a little similar to my recent dragon encounter. Did I tell you about that?"

"No you didn't. When did you fight a dragon?" Connor really wanted to hear this.

"It was right after we killed Hamilton and Wolfram and Hart collapsed."

"Oh." Connor frowned. "You mean the big fight I bailed from."

"I told you to leave," Angel stressed.

"That doesn't mean I... never mind." Connor didn't want to get into it. "Come on, tell me what happened."

"Okay." Angel was happy to oblige. "After I was finished at Wolfram and Hart I met the others behind the Hyperion. That's when the Senior Partners' army came at us. I knew right away that I was going after the dragon. Unfortunately, I was engaged with the thousands of other demons when it finally decided to swoop down at us. There's only one thing I could think of doing."

Angel waited for a prompt but Connor just looked at him expectantly.

"I jumped on its back," Angel continued. "Luckily it was too stupid to realize I wasn't on its side once it couldn't see me."

"Ah, so you decided to go for a joyride," Connor joked.

"I didn't go that far. Only to San Diego." Angel replied seriously. Off of Connor's look Angel said, "See, I can be funny too."

After Connor's eye roll Angel went on. "Anyway, I decided to use my position to my advantage. I steered it straight into the demon horde below."

"That actually worked?"

"The impact killed quite a few of its own warriors. Then it got angry and set ablaze even more. Finally, when I could tell it was sick of having me around, I put my sword through its head."

Connor was impressed. "Damn," was all he could say. He wished he could have flown around on his dragon.

"That's what bought us enough time for the Slayers to show up."

"And then you ran away like a coward," Connor said in jest.

Angel looked at his son oddly. "Weren't you just complaining about how you fled instead of fighting with us?"

"But you told me to leave," Connor pointed out playfully.

"It was the smart thing to do," Angel insisted.

Connor wasn't sure who Angel was referring to with that. Whatever the meaning, Connor's mind went back to his original thought. "I should have been there."

"You should have been anywhere but there."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Angel finally broke it. "How did it happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"How did you manage to fall in love with a demon?" There was no anger or disappointment in Angel's voice, just fatherly curiosity.

Connor sighed. "Look, Dad, I'm going to say something. Please, just listen until I'm finished, okay?"

Angel noted the use of 'Dad' but didn't say anything. He only nodded.

Connor took a deep breath. "The first time I saw Salome I was immediately infatuated with her. She wasn't my type, or at least that's what I thought, but there was something about her. I finally got the nerve to talk to her and ask her out. She turned me down... every day for a year. But we had a good thing going: a great friendship. This was all before we knew the truth about each other. When we did learn of our respective backgrounds, my first thought was to break off contact." He stopped and shook his head. "Thank God it didn't work out that way."

Connor paused as he considered how to go on. "You asked how I could fall in love with her. With a demon. It's pretty simple. She makes me happy. She always has. I'm always at my happiest when I'm around her. And she genuinely cares about me. She has no agenda for being with me. She just... wants to. Because I make her happy. Because I care about her. The fact that she's a demon, I wouldn't change that for anything. She wouldn't be the woman I fell in love with if she were anything else."

Once again there was silence. Angel's face was unreadable. Connor couldn't take the suspense so he went with one sentence that he was sure would get some response. "The sex is great too."

Angel's face scrunched up as he looked at Connor. "I didn't need to hear that."

"But now I know you didn't lose your voice. Come on, talk to me," Connor gently pleaded.

Angel slowly turned his head away without saying a word.

Connor was becoming desperate. "You're killing me here, Dad. Please, say something."

Angel closed his eyes, took an unnecessary deep breath, opened his eyes, turned to Connor, smiled and asked, "When am I going to meet her?"

That was the best response Connor thought he could have received.

[Emcee]

I have warm, happy Congel feelings! Yay! I love Father-Sonness.

Angel is so funny. There are a couple of times when I swear to god I could hear DB delivering the lines. Especially, "Don't try changing the... really? A dragon?"

You did a really good job conveying Connor's feelings, considering the major setback Con/Sal suffered in the last episode.

Great work.

[Wind Fish]

Thanks. I'm a big fan of Congel stories so that's the challenge that jumped out at me when I read that thread.

I think my number one problem right now is keeping all the characters from talking like I do. And I really struggled there with this one so I'm glad some of Angel's lines actually sounded natural in the end.

That's one of the things that I'm impressed about with your writing. You could remove everything but the dialogue and I'd still know who was speaking each line. Everyone has their own clear voice. Maybe that's not as hard to do as I think, but still, you do a good job with it.

[Emcee]

Thanks. I'm a big fan of Congel stories so that's the challenge that jumped out at me when I read that thread.

I was surprised. For some reason, I thought you were going to do the hockey game. Probably because you inspired that challenge (I basically took the concept from "Cheater")

That's one of the things that I'm impressed about with your writing. You could remove everything but the dialogue and I'd still know who was speaking each line. Everyone has their own clear voice. Maybe that's not as hard to do as I think, but still, you do a good job with it.

Thank you very much. Connor, Andrew and Wesley are pretty easy for me to write. I just watch lots of AtS and BtVS to learn the tricks that the writers use to capture their voices and the way VK, TL and AD use to deliver the lines (Yes... I "research" the episodes. That's why I watch so much AtS and BtVS *shifty eyes*)

All people tend to have vocal patterns, things that they fall back on. Once you watch enough of AtS and BtVS and if you're REALLY paying attention to how they speak, it can be pretty easy to emulate.

Salome, Oni and Jamie have all developed their own voices since I started writing them. You'll notice in earlier episodes they're a bit different than they are now, since I was still establishing them. Salome uses a lot of nicknames and generally is a lot more casual than everyone else. Oni is one of the only people I will use the thesarus with. She uses very few contractions and tends to use big words. She learned English from books, so she tends to be very technical about it. Jamie is a bit harder. He is just such an utterly normal GUY. Sometimes I struggle to not make him sound like Xander.

[Wind Fish]

There's about a 95% chance I'll be doing the hockey one too. I do have an outline for it in my head. Really, the whole challenge is a perfect set-up for my brand of comedy. And I guess that makes sense if it's based off of one of my light-hearted stories.

I just have to get over my fear, again, that I'll write everyone horribly wrong. You'd think that after doing about, oh, five stories or so that were well received, using most of the same characters, that I'd be a little less worried about that. Nope.

[Buffy8Fan]

This fit both characters perfectly. I could see both characters doing this and I could see both actors doing this. David Boreanaz was always brilliant as Angel and Vincent as Connor was the same. I am thinking a story where Salome and Angel meet would be very funny.

[Wind Fish]

I am thinking a story where Salome and Angel meet would be very funny.

Ack! Don't say that! If it's potentially funny I won't be able to resist writing it!

Seriously though, I'm sure those two are going to be meeting eventually. And I'm looking forward to it.

[Emcee]

Oh, I shouldn't say anything... *shifty eyes*

Ack! Don't say that! If it's potentially funny I won't be able to resist writing it!

*giggle* I think you should go for it. I'd LOVE to see how someone else thinks this would happen.

[Wind Fish]

Okay, I'm not bumping this for no reason. It was already at the top of the list and I can't figure out why. Did someone post here and then delete it? Random board glitch? Am I hallucinating? So many questions.

Not that this is a bad story to magically appear at the top of the queue. It's probably my favorite of the ones I've done.

Though now I'm wondering why I never wrote that Salome and Angel first meeting story. Could have been fun.

[Emcee]

Someone posted a bunch of random gibberish. I deleted it.

And hey... Maybe you can't write Angel and Salome's first meeting, since it happened in "Coda"... But they haven't actually talked to each other yet.