Middle Son - ANGEL the Series/NCIS - FRMA - General - Multiple Pairings

[angelfirenze]

Middle Son
By Angelfirenze

Disclaimer: Mutant Enemy, Bellasarius, and all involved are the geniuses behind these characters. I just borrow them at times to manipulate them, much like action figures, before returning them slightly abused but generally in good shape. The Decemberists. "Picaresque.". Hush, Rough Trade, 2005.

Summary: Connor put a hand through Liam's hair and carded it softly. "Ye deserved better. I...I just wan' ter do better." Liam gave a wobbly smile. "I'd like that."

Author's Notes: So I stopped analyzing and just started rewatching and rereading and — voila! I FINALLY had an idea! I found this in my Livejournal and ran with it. Also, this chapter seems to want to be in Connor, Sr.'s POV.

Dedicated: to mendenbar01 .

Part XXVII: Held

...Sergeant sent a letter to five...Military wives, whose tears drip down from ten little eyes...

Eve fought Angel's hold on her, to no avail. "You bastard!" Liam sighed, faltering as his strength lagged, especially in light of the fact that she wasn't hurt and hadn't suffered any fits. Gasping for breath, Liam was forced to abandon his mission to haul her into Jethro's trunk and keep her there, but it didn't stop him from trying to keep her in his sights for the time being.

She struggled again and was once more free, raising a hand to do whatever she had planned, when she was gagged by an exhausted Angel, who had slipped into his game face even though he was still panting.

Finally, he was forced to let her go out of sheer exhaustion, but Wesley was right behind them and took hold of her, using a spell of binding to haul her back to his bedroom. Connor, Jr., stepped forward and caught his father before he could hit the ground, picking him up and carrying him back to Leroy's bed.

Connor, Sr., fought the desire to cuff Liam as he watched his namesake drop their father next to his elder grandson, both now irritated at Liam's consistent "I'm fine, really" platitude. Liam's eyes were no longer blinded, but blood had leaked back into his injured eyeball. The lad was as fine as a broken axle.

"Wake L.J. up so you can lie back down," his conscious grandson gestured to his comatose brother. "Uncle Wes is on the phone with Willow, whether you like it or not."

Seething quietly, Liam reached over and touched Leroy on his eyelids. With a small gasp, the elder man sat upright and blinked as his eyes readjusted. As soon as he got his surroundings, Leroy frowned and immediately got out of bed, gesturing for Liam to take his place. "You're bleeding again," he groused as Liam sighed and lay back. "You can't take my feelings from me again, Papa," he stated quietly. "Look what it did to you."

"Look what it did to you!" Liam fretted, trying to sit back up. Connor, Sr., reached over and stilled Liam with a hand on his chest.

"I would rather never see my child have a fit again, Liam," he whispered, and Liam wilted visibly. "Ye can' do whatever ye did ever again. Ye could 'ave killed yerself — I understan' protectin' yer child!" he amended readily. "An' I 'ave ter protect mine, so you can protect yers!"

Liam froze before lying back down. "I'm getting sick of this bed."

"Tough," Leroy threw out, folding his arms. "If only you could see yourself. You were blind and bleeding. You're staying put."

Liam started to protest, but Connor, Sr., frowned and he sighed again and lay back once more. "Where's Eve?"

Connor, Jr., grinned smugly, "Uncle Wes has her bound until you can put her in the trunk. He figured you'd want that honor yourself."

"Where's Billy?" Leroy asked and Connor, Sr., sighed and nodded, "I will find the boy with yer help. I don' like gettin' lost in yer labyrinth o' a house, Leroy."

Leroy merely shrugged, "Occupational hazard."

He dropped a hand upon Liam's shoulder and said, "Rest up, Pop. You're not used to being a Child of the Senior Partners anymore. You overdid it, to say the least. We'll make sure Wes doesn't kill her or anything."

Liam rolled his eyes and lay back among the pillows. "Just...be careful, she's still got...her own powers. She doesn't care about my kids and will kill your grandfather at her leisure."

He was clearly resentful about not being allowed to handle his otherworldly and frankly irritating sister, himself, but Connor, Sr., had to just trust that Liam was weak enough to do what he was told for once.

And for once, he did.

***

Connor, Sr., followed Leroy and Connor down to the kitchen, where his youngest grandson's foster parents and sister were sitting anxiously. "Is Angel alright?" Laurence asked quietly and Connor, Jr., nodded.

"He's back on bedrest, hopefully we won't have to tie him down or something."

"When he had that seizure..." Colleen whispered, and the elder Connor felt his chest tighten in mild panic, as well as gratitude that these people seemed to care for his son almost as much as he did. She looked at him, "That must've terrified you."

Connor, Sr., nodded morosely in agreement. "I told 'im I never want ter see somethin' like that happen ter him again. I have ter protect 'im so he can protect all of ye."

Laurence looked aghast then as what happened sank in fully, "She was going to kill a baby to save her zombie boyfriend? There's true love, but that's taking it too far. Kaitlin isn't to go anywhere near her, Connor, agreed?" Connor, Jr., clenched his fists and nodded fervently.

Connor, Sr., looked upward in what he hoped was the direction of Wesley and Lilah's bedroom, "I canna only hope she can be contained in that strange trunk o' yers, Leroy."

Leroy nodded and went downstairs into the basement for a few minutes before he returned, having retrieved the trunk. "Only Pop or I could get something out of this trunk once it's in there."

"So, it'll basically be a prison?" Colleen asked and Leroy nodded gladly. "Her brig, yes. I likely need to put a bed and other things down in there, but those can wait. Right now, we need to know where Billy is."

"Kaitlin told us she offered to play Uno with him earlier and that he cried through the whole game, " Laurence explained. "Can't blame him, really."

Connor, Sr., felt a stab of pain in his heart for the boy. For a child so young to be going through what he had been through broke his heart. Then something about the conversation on the way back from Dr. Mallard's morgue came back to him, when Liam had explained who the boy was and what his mother had been and that his father, a United States Marine like his middle grandson, had also been murdered, if in a more normal fashion, if one could call hitting a tree and then a sport utility vehicle at extremely high speed while falling out of one of the flying machines his namesake had explained to him because of a sabotaged safety device by one of his own fellow Marines who was now serving life in military prison, and dying from the impact could be called normal.

At least the man hadn't been slaughtered...by two of Connor, Sr.'s own great-grandchildren at the behest of his eldest grandson. That Liam was considered a saint to the demonic dynasty William had been born of. The last and only Priest of the demon goddess Svea and her only grandson, who now had no parents to look after him and worshiped Connor, Sr.'s eldest child. He desperately wanted to talk to the child, but knew his safety for the time being was more important.

Connor, Sr., started as Leroy clapped a hand on his shoulder, having opened the trunk and stepped into it until he was ankle-deep in it on its set of stairs. "You're brooding like Pop does. It'll kill you. Come on in."

Connor, Sr., leaned over and looked at the dark trunk before blinking as a light suddenly shown. Gingerly, he stepped into the trunk, holding the handrail before descending the stairs into a cavernous space filled with wooden boats and other, stranger items Connor, Sr., couldn't name. "How long 'ave ye had this trunk?" he asked in awe and Leroy shocked him by smiling at him.

"Pop bought it in São Paulo when I was six for my birthday. He made sure I knew it was a good place to hide if necessary, but I think we can step outside its usual usage for now. Yes, I speak Portuguese, which is what happens when your father is a linguist. Did you know Pop speaks over twenty languages?"

Connor, Sr., looked at Jethro in surprise. "Do you speak that many?"

Leroy chuckled and shook his head, "Nope. Irish, English, Spanish, French, American Sign Language courtesy of one Abigail Scuito and, of course, my late wife, and scuttlebutt."

Connor, Sr.'s face crumpled in confusion, "Scut..."

Leroy rolled his eyes good-naturedly, the first time his grandfather had ever seen this side of him. "Marine for water cooler — that's a device that holds water and keeps it cold until you're ready to drink it — gossip."

"Ah," Connor, Sr., frowned, wondering what American Sign Language was. Leroy seemed to read his mind because he began signing rapidly, still smiling.

Connor, Sr., sighed, now slightly irritated, "Ye know I've no idea how ter talk with my hands in that fashion." Leroy stopped immediately, still smiling.

"I was just messing with you, Seanathair. I didn't expect you to follow along. Now come over here."

Leroy nodded toward a door Connor hadn't noticed before. The nameplate said 'BUNK' and Leroy opened the door. Inside, several beds were attached to the wall and on one of them, a small boy was curled morosely on his side. That was until he saw Leroy, subsequently jumping with inhuman grace into the man's arms and hugging him tightly. Leroy hugged him back fiercely, ruffling his hair. "Told you I'd come back."

"You were gone a long, long time. Kaitlin and her mom, and dad were coming in here to talk to me and make me eat. Mrs. Reilly helped me take a bath and put on my new clothes."

"That's a good thing," Leroy told him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "You needed the company. Besides, you're a good brat who deserves to be taken care of."

"Can I please meet Angelus, pretty pretty please?"

Leroy smiled a bit before slinging William onto his hip. "If he's up to it, I'm sure he'll even draw you a picture."

Connor, Sr., was mesmerized by the adoration this little boy had for a talent he'd so discouraged in his son.

"Really? Like the one on the wall of my treehouse?" Then his face fell. "I miss my treehouse. I never even got to break it in."

Leroy kissed his head again, "We can build a new one right here at my house."

William's face lit up, "We can?"

"Absolutely," Leroy said solemnly, and William hugged him even harder. Only then did the boy seem to notice Connor, Sr., was in the room. "Who are you?"

"What's your name, sir," Leroy corrected gently. William nodded and asked, "Who are you, sir - what's your name?"

Connor, Sr. bit his lip before answering, "I am Connor...I am...Angelus' father."

William's eyes widened, "...His dad? Are you part demon, too?" he asked excitedly, "Like us?"

Connor, Sr. felt himself go cold at the memory of what had almost happened to him, but he managed to say, "No, child, I am human like Kaitlin an' her parents."

"Let's go upstairs," Leroy said, suddenly breaking the tension the question caused. "Hungry?"

"Starving," William affirmed, and Leroy adjusted the boy on his hip before beckoning for Connor, Sr., to follow them. On the way back up the stairs, William hugged Leroy fiercely again, and Connor, Sr. barely heard him say, "I miss my mom and dad." Connor felt his heart crumble into dust at the plaintiveness he heard in the boy's voice.

And Leroy's quiet response, "I know you do, pal, but they're with you every day and they always will be."

They eventually emerged back into the kitchen, Leroy stepping out of the trunk with practiced ease. "Can I be a Marine like you and my dad?"

Leroy smiled and even laughed, "Of course you can, bud, but before you go running off to join up, you need to eat."

William squirmed out of Jethro's arms and over to the table. Colleen gave him a sweet smile before setting a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich on it in front of William, who began to devour it the moment it was before him.

"What do you say?" Leroy asked gently and William swallowed before looking at Colleen with a shy smile, "Thank you, Mrs. Reilly."

Colleen smiled brightly, "You're quite welcome, Billy."

While young William sat eating with Connor, Jr., and the Reillys, Leroy continued back upstairs through the house to find Liam's other sister and her lover, who was falling apart at the seams. Connor, Sr., wanted to find Wesley and, surprisingly, the confounding Lilah woman to check on them as well as their child. He wondered if Doctor Mallard should be called again and was about to apprise Leroy of his suggestion when his grandson's little cellular phone (the Reillys had been pounding that pronunciation and so many others into his head for days now in exchange for Irish lessons) rang and he answered, concisely, "Agent Todd. You and Kate Lockley get any communication from Willow and the rest of the Rome bunch?"

Leroy halted, raising a hand to stop them on the staircase as he listened, and Connor, Sr., waited patiently as the faint voices on the other end told Leroy something he apparently had wanted to know, for he nodded and said, "Excellent." He said no more as he hung up and they continued up the stairs to the landing. Wesley and Lilah had their door open and Wesley was closing his own cellular phone.

For the frist time since meeting Wesley, Connor was surprised to find him smiling. The effect it had on his countenance was striking. He actually looked like the young man Connor, Sr., had always thought of his son's best friend as. "Willow, Xander, Faith, Buffy, Dawn, and the others are boarding a plane back to the States. They've agreed to be acolytes for Angel's overflowing essence."

Leroy grinned widely before turning to the Lilah woman and saying seriously, "Thanks for the blood donation."

She looked at him in muted surprise. "How do you know about that? You were practically in a coma."

"Dreams run in the family," Leroy answered, and she scoffed.

"You're adopted."

"You could say that about every one of my siblings except Connor. Come on, Lilah, you worked at Evil, Incorporated, you know vampirism better than this. Angel's blood and our innate gifts are what matter. They're amplified. However could you forget?"

Lilah gestured to her round belly, "Pregnancy brain, let's call it."

"It *is* a thing," Leroy said lightly before turning to Wes, "How long until their here? Because we've got logistics to plan with my even-more-amoral-than-you aunt and my niece and nephew. Zombie Lindsey needs somewhere to stay, too, that isn't this house but will keep him safe while he recovers...as do Ziva and Ari..."

The last part was so quiet, Connor, Sr., struggled to hear it. He found himself utterly gobsmacked. If he recalled correctly, everyone in Doctor Mallard's morgue had seen how hate-filled Leroy had been for the manipulated pair on young William's behalf. To hear him extending an olive branch now was astounding.

"Angel's probably got money," Lilah said flippantly, turning her hand over. "Go ask him, du - " she clamped her lips shut and Leroy and Connor, Sr., both smirked.

"I think I might just actually do that," Leroy acquiesced, grinning dangerously. "But for now I have to report."

"No need," Wes said suddenly, surprising them all as he'd been silent up until this point. "Agent DiNozzo called while you were downstairs and it went to voicemail. He said he was so happy Abby set that up for you, but 'not to worry about work because you have an astounding amount of time off accrued and your director didn't want you to come to work straight out of a coma no one told him you were probably in, but seemed like something you would do', quote-unquote."

"Good Lord, boy," Connor, Sr., gaped slightly at his eldest grandson, who was still smiling proudly. "Yer as bad as yer father. We should 'ave tied 'im down befer we left just ter be safe."

"We needed to look after Billy. I needed to look after Billy." Leroy's tone brooked no argument and Connor, Sr., sighed. "O' course ye did, lad. Again, yer as bad as yer father an' brother. Comas, Hells, the Darkest o' the Dark Worlds, explosions, that harpy who calls herself Liam's 'sister' — " and here he spoke with definitive irritation. "Just behave fer once in yer lives an' stop lookin' fer trouble."

"We don't look for trouble," Connor, Jr., popped up behind him and Connor, Sr., grabbed his chest, whirling around. "Trouble finds us."

"Where the devil did ye come from, lad?" he asked and his namesake shrugged and stepped back, so that a fully dressed William and an amused Kaitlin could be seen behind him. "My maman and papa said it was a punishment to leave them at the table with us for this long when Billy's this excited about meeting my dad. That he finished his brunch fifteen minutes ago — even the bowl of tomato soup my maman also made him — and has been squirming ever since and you promised him, L.J."

Leroy stepped between Billy, Kaitlin, and Lilah, who rolled her eyes and gestured to her belly. "I'm not Darla. I'm exhausted, I'm not doing anything I don't have to. And I don't even feel like I'm going to split open yet." She looked at Wesley. "When's the ultrasound?"

Leroy smiled at a now quite excited-looking Wesley, who puffed up, "The equipment will be here tomorrow. Then we can see her for ourselves."

"I'm happy fer ye, lad," Connor, Sr., said quite sincerely. Hopefully, the baby would keep him too busy to climb back into a whiskey bottle. Wesley smiled even wider.

"Let's go see the Wizard," Leroy said softly, running a hand over William's hair.

***

"But you saved my family," William objected when a fully-dressed Liam insisted he didn't deserve to be bowed and scraped to. "Then you saved me."

"My sons saved you, I wasn't there, becán."

"I'm not bacon," William protested and Liam, Connor, Sr., and Leroy all smiled.

"Not 'bacon', becán. It's Irish for little one, and before you say you're not little, you're seven."

"I'm eight. I'll be nine in June," William corrected before clapping his hands over his mouth. "Sorry, Angelus, I'm sorrysorrysorry!"

Liam bit back a sigh, "You're allowed to tell me your age, kiddo. I'm not offended. Did Jethro give you your own room yet?"

William shook his head and Liam raised an eyebrow at his elder son. "I know you were going into work, but now you're not. As soon as Eve's stashed, give Billy a room that's not in your trunk."

Leroy nodded, chastised, "Yes, sir."

"Who - " William clapped his hands over his mouth again, and Leroy gently peeled them away. "You can ask questions, but don't worry about her. She's a bad lady, is all."

"Like the one who killed my mom," William affirmed and everyone tried not to wince. They were all hoping he hadn't seen anything, but Connor, Sr., supposed that was too much to hope for.

"No," Liam said definitively. "But don't go anywhere without one of the grownups, got it?" William nodded dutifully.

"Do you have a password to your room? I have one I want for my second treehouse."

"You don't need a second treehouse," Liam corrected. "Just a guy who's good at magic. How much space have you got in your backyard, Jethro?"

"Just enough," Leroy smiled at the wonder and happiness coming over William's face. Liam closed his eyes and whispered, and there was a flash outside the window across the room. Liam was breathing slightly faster.

"No more magic," Connor, Jr., bossed, crossing his arms. "We can clean it later."

"No need. The only thing I left was the sigil of my tattoo. It's clean as a whistle."

"Remember the part about you overdoing it, Dad? You know, the Old One that you haven't actively been in who knows how long?"

"Moving a tree and treehouse is easy when you've fed on someone as powerful and full of himself as Marcus."

"Yeah, so was putting me in a coma," Leroy rolled his eyes. "You're going to spend even more time in this bed if you don't stop."

"So I heard," Liam groused. "I'll take a nap, happy?"

"Very," Connor, Sr., stated before finally sitting in the chair next to Jethro's bed. "Where are ye ter sleep, lad?" he asked quizzically.

"In my trunk," Leroy stated simply, and Liam sighed.

"That's where I've been sleeping," William chirped, and Leroy smiled at him. "There's lots of beds."

"There's food, too, but I figured you wanted to eat with my little brother and his family. I always like to be prepared," Leroy said, sweeping William into another hug before putting him on his shoulders. "Let's go check out that treehouse while Angel sleeps, huh?"

William cheered, and Connor found himself smiling sadly—poor lad.

Connor, Sr, looked around before he was honestly tempted to swear. In the middle of the conversation, his namesake had slipped out unnoticed.

...TBC...