Title – How Deep Your Love

Author – Paige

Rating – PG-13. Some suggestive dialogue and other nasty stuff.

Summary – Connor, Angel, and the AI team hunt for Paige and Buffy.

Disclaimer – Not mine.

Distribution – I would be honored, though please ask.

Feedback – Uh, please?

As the last of the creatures fled the Hyperion’s lobby, Connor found himself searching for Paige’s slim form….

And not finding her.

"Buffy?" Angel said sharply, looking around for his mate.

Connor tried to see past the veil of rage over his eyes. "Paige is gone, too."

Wes swore. "We need to think."

Connor closed his eyes. "You’re gonna have to do that, Wes. I’m too pissed off."

Gunn and Fred came through the door, cuddled together and giggling. Both froze when they saw the expressions on the faces of their friends.

"Hey, man, where the girl?" Gunn asked, scanning the lobby for Paige.

"They took her," Connor snarled.

Wes shook his head. "They must have been expecting you and Angel to go after them. Damn!"

"We have to go after them," Angel said softly. "There’s nothing else we can do."

"I know," the former Watcher said softly.

Connor closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, and went over to the weapons cabinet. "We have to go now, before we loose their trail."

Angel nodded, joining his son. "Wes, Fred, Gunn, we’ll call you and tell you where to meet us. They’ll be expecting Connor and I for sure, but I don’t know if they expect us to bring back-up."

"They should," Wes said dryly, choosing his own battle axe out of the cabinet.

"Demons aren’t the brightest, Wes. Call Cordelia and Groo. We could use a little help."

Wes nodded, already reaching for the phone.

"And then maybe you could explain to us what the hell is goin’ on," Gunn interrupted, sounding exasperated.

Connor sheathed his knife. "We don’t have time. We have to go /now/."

Angel nodded. "You go over the roofs, I’ll go on ground." He placed one gentle hand on his son’s shoulder. "We’ll find her, Connor."

"I know," Connor said softly. "’Cause I can’t lose her, Dad."

Paige tried to rouse herself from the dark, but found herself unable.

Before realizing there was a damn piece of cloth over her eyes. She said a few words not befitting a girl.

"Well, that was nasty….is that even physically possible?" asked a feminine voice from her right.

Paige rolled her shoulders, half in an attempt to shrug, half in an attempt to loosen her bonds. "I don’t know."

There was silence for several long minutes.

"They’ll find us," Paige said suddenly. "Odds are twenty-to-one they’re underestimating our favorite father-son duo."

"I hope so," Buffy said softly. "Because they’re strong, whatever they are."

And silence reigned.

Connor was crouched lightly on the roof of the building, looking through the skylight at the demons. Angel was near his side. Fred and Gunn were by the back door, Wes and Faith covering the front, Groo and Cordelia one side.

Everything was covered.

Connor glanced at his father. "Sneak or dive?"

"Dive."

Connor grinned and dove feet-first through the glass.

Wes and Faith exchanged quick, hungry grins and kicked down the door. Faith let out a battle-cry and hefted her sword. "Come and get it, ugly!"

"I hope none of them bleed on me," Cordelia muttered.

Groo gave her an irritated look. "This is battle, princess. Clothes matter not." He looked up at the sound of breaking glass. "I believe that is our signal."

He charged.

Gunn and Fred exchanged a short, tender kiss, then kicked in the door.

‘This is not going to be easy,’ Fred thought, glancing at the horde of demons.

Paige shook her head at the sound of crashing glass and screaming demons.

"What the hell –Ah!"

She scrambled to keep her feet when something hauled her to her feet with a grip on her long black hair. She cringed away as the thing leaned into her and licked a long, wet line down her neck.

"Let’s see how deep their love goes, my pretty," the thing hissed and drug her away.

The tide of the battle was going their way. Oh, yes, definitely.

"Stop!" shrieked one of the demons, near the center of the room. "Stop!"

When he saw the AI team lookin at him, he hauled Paige up by her hair and ripped off her blindfold. "How deep runs your love, hellspawn?" he hissed, and licked her neck again. "I think I like this one, oh yes." He paused, and grinned, and Connor could see the terror in Paige’s blue eyes. "I think I’ll keep her." And he groped at her body.

Paige let out a harsh, gasping sound that was halfway between a sob and a snarl, and tried to pull herself away. But the demon held her tightly.

And with that, Connor felt himself go cold inside, felt himself bleed away, and the dark, inhuman part of his soul take over.

Only the Destroyer remained.

And he was aptly named.