Fandom: Angel
Title: A Normal Life
Author: Em
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~360
Spoilers: set Season 3 after "Dad"
Character(s): Wesley, Angel, Connor
Prompt: Wesley, Angel, friendship
Summary: Wesley had never much considered being a father.
Dedication: For
_shroomy_,
angelsgracie,
bouncymonkey,
clez,
fairydarling,
faithsqueen,
fangirljen,
faroutdragon1,
kyizi,
loriel_eris,
malnpudl,
roadrunner1896,
roniabirk,
seamusharper,
skroberts,
stabbim, and
supercheesegirlNotes: Written as part of the 2005 Gift Fic Project for my flist.
Special thanks to
faithsqueen for betaing duties.
A Normal Life
Connor was quiet in Wesley's arms, like he belonged there. It was an odd sensation. Wesley had never much considered being a father. He knew that as long as he was wrapped up in Angel's fight that he wouldn't have time for relationships or anything that should lead to having a child. The longer he fought-and the more he discovered just how necessary it was to fight-the more certain he became that he would never have the kind of things that lead to a normal life.
Which was why it physically hurt to see Angel snatch a bit of normalcy from the smoke of fate.
It was cruel, in a way, to let a vampire have a child a human would never know. So much crueler, though, that the child was possibly the harbinger of something much worse and that-knowing their lives, their luck-this child's life would not be filled with sunny days, ball games, and ice cream cones.
Even so, Connor was beautiful.
"Hey, Connor, you like your Uncle Wes?" Angel's voice curled into a coo every time he laid eyes on his son. Wesley had tried it once, but it sounded too foreign, too innocent.
"I think perhaps he does," Wesley softly said.
Angel smiled, and held his finger out for Connor to grab. "Done a lot of things in my very long life," Angel continued speaking to Connor in a soft voice. "But never been a dad before."
"I'll help you with him in whatever way I can." Wesley looked at Connor as he vowed, as though he were promising Connor help when his father set the curfew too early or grounded him for wrecking the car.
Angel held out his arms and Wesley reluctantly handed over the baby, fussing with Connor's blanket and tucking it in under his arms. His hand lingered over Connor's head, touching an idea that no longer seemed so ethereal.
"Never thought I'd have one." Angel brought Connor to his face. He rubbed their noses together and made more cooing noses unbecoming of a two hundred-year-old vampire.
Wesley smiled easily, crossing his arms over his chest, rubbing his forearms. "Neither did I."
~Comments and feedback are appreciated.