Connor (Origin: Irish Gaelic; A strong will.) Source

Connor is the human child of two vampires, Angel and Darla, which should have been impossible. Since Darla was a vampire she was unable to give birth to him and in her only moment of true 'goodness' she sacrificed her unlife for her child.(Lullaby - S3,Ep9) Darla staked herself so Connor would live.

Connor was only raised by Angel, Cordelia and the rest of Angel Investigations for the first few weeks after he was born. For the rest of his childhood he wasn't raised by Angel and Cordelia (Angel's close friend and someone he falls in love with), but by Holtz, Angel's adversary. Holtz was a vampire hunter in York and hunted both Angelus and Darla in the 1700's. Eventually Angelus and Darla brutally killed his family and even turned his younger daughter, forcing Holtz to stake her. Holtz's hatred for them grew to the point that he made a deal with Sahjhan in 1773 to help him get his vengeance in the future. No one knows who Sahjhan is or why he hates Angel/Angelus so much, not even Angel.

Sahjhan turned Holtz to stone and revived him in season 3 to help him in his own plot to destroy Angel/Angelus. Sahjhan can travel and effect time, he went back and altered various prophecies and artifacts. These written histories led Wesley to believe that "The father will kill the son", meaning Angel would kill Connor, who was a new born baby.

You can also go to Wesley for more information about the prophecy and Connor kidnapping.

Wesley was going to run away with Connor and raise him himself, thus saving Connor. On his way out of town Justine Cooper, one of Holtz's present day soldiers, stops him by slashing his throat (leaving him for dead), stealing his car and baby Connor. She brings Connor to Holtz so that they both can raise him out west ("Sleep Tight" - S3,Ep16). Much to her shock things get rather complicated and Holtz escapes from Angel and Lilah's soldiers by jumping through a portal into the Quor-toth dimension ("Sleep Tight" - S3,Ep16).

The Quor-toth dimension is a hellish dimension, so much so that there is no way in and out. Somehow Sahjhan creates the portal or tear in the walls between dimensions or the time-space continuum to threaten Angel. He claimed that he would increase its size and destroy the world if Angel doesn't give Connor to him. Unfortunately for both Sahjhan and Lilah, Holtz escapes through it with Connor.

Connor returns not as a baby, but a full grown teenager of about 16 or 18. Holtz changes Connor's name to Stephen and poisons his mind against Angel with lies and half truths. In Quor-toth, Stephen had to constantly fight for his life and so became a capable and deadly hunter/fighter. He has some heightened senses and abilities from his vampire parents. He's a very angry, wild young man. Cordy's new demon abilities manifest themselves and she heals some of Stephen's pain, she seems to dull his painful memories.

LORNE: In my professional opinion? Well, Miss Demony Britches here gave that child some kind of soul colonic. Flushed him out but good.
ANGEL: Flushed what out?
CORDELIA: It was that place, Quortoth. It crept into every part of him. He was sick with it.
"Benediction" (AtS Season 3, Episode 21)

Holtz passes through the same rift in the dimensional wall and follows Stephen to complete his plan to destroy Angel/Angelus. With the help of Justine he sets up his death to look as if a vampire, namely Angel, killed him. In a blinding rage Stephen captures and imprisons Angel in a metal box that he dumps into the water just off the L.A. coast.

Over the coarse of the summer Stephen misleads Fred and Gunn, the last two members of the agency that are still together and working at the agency, into thinking he doesn't know where Angel is. During this time the outcast Wesley, from the Fang Gang, has been leading his own agency to help people while searching for Angel and Cordelia. Wesley had Justine chained and caged in his apartment while sleeping with and using Lilah for information. After much work Wesley finds Angel's cage and frees him. He does what he can, even feeding him his own blood, until he returns Angel to Fred and Gunn giving them an explanation to what has happened.

All this is unknown to Stephen. Fred and Gunn use a cattle prod to stun Stephen and tie him up in a chair. A very angry Fred questions and electrocutes him, she asks him why and how could he do that to his father. His anger and hatred for Angel is very deep. Over a few weeks or a couple of months Angel grows closer to Stephen and he soon changes his name back to Connor. Angel was angry at Connor for what he had done, but he continued to love him and forgive him for his betrayal. Angel seems to understand that Holtz had twisted Connor over the years.

Connor lives on his own, but on occasion fights with Angel and the group. He has always continued to kill vampires and other nasties in L.A.. When 'Cordelia' returns from being a Higher Being, over the same period of time that Angel has been underwater, she has no memories of her past. Thinking that he was protecting Cordy, Angel tells her half truths about who they are, their history and that he is a vampire.

Huge Spoilers ahead in the next paragraph!!!!
Later on in the season we find out that the real Cordelia did not return from being a Higher Being, but her body was hijacked by the God that later calls herself Jasmine. Jasmine is the child of Cordelia's body and Connor. Jasmine manipulated many people's paths for many years in order to create Connor (the impossible child of two vampires) and Cordelia (who became half-demon in order to be able to survive the visions from The Powers That Be). Jasmine's need to give herself a physical body that would be able to house her powerful being led her to create an impossibility, Connor, and a vessel, Cordelia, that was strong enough to carry her and give birth to her. For a time it seemed that Cordelia had become Evil Cordelia, but in fact she was pushed to the back of her mind and her body was controlled by Jasmine.

When 'Cordy' finds out the truth she acts like she feels betrayed and lied to. She leaves Angel and goes to Connor for shelter and a shoulder to lean on. Over a period of time we see that Connor has feelings for Cordelia, but she kept him at a distance. At the time it seems to the audience that she does this because of her feelings for his father, Angel. Near the end of the season we find out that it was just part of 'Jasmine's' act to draw Connor to her in order to have them create and give birth to her.

During the "end of the world" when there's fire raining from the sky and the sun is blocked out over L. A. 'Cordelia' sleeps with Connor/Steven, Angel's son. The morning after they sleep together she sees that the world hasn't ended. She starts to act guilty and uncomfortable and she tells Connor that it was basically a mistake and because she loves Angel she can't be with him.

During "Soulless" (S4, Ep11) Angelus shines a light on the fact that Connor and Cordelia slept together, something that really hurt Angel. He uses it to hurt and taunt them.

In Salvage (S4,Ep13) it seems that the relationship between Connor and Cordelia come one step closer to the Oedipus myth when they sleep with one another. Evil Cordelia (see Cordelia for information about who she might actually be) tells Connor that she is pregnant with his 'child'.

Over the weeks up to the birth of their child Evil Cordelia corrupts Connor's mind and warps his view of both his and Cordelia's importance in comparison with regular humans.

In order to quicken the birth of their child EC convinces Connor to sacrifice the life of a female virgin. Darla appears to him to try and sway him away from sacrificing an innocent girl for the early birth of his child. Her please fall on deaf ears and Connor allows the sacrifice.

Darla did one good deed by sacrificing herself for her child's life, an unselfish act. She returns to try and lead Connor back onto the path of good by saving the innocent girl and not sacrificing her. Unfortunately, Connor is poisoned by the Evil Cordelia's words and cannot be saved.

DARLA: Because we shared a soul. I feel the pain, the anger, the hurt, like it were my own. But most of all, I feel the good in you and no matter how much you’re beaten or twisted or lied to, it’s still there, in your heart. I know it and deep down, you know it, too.
CONNOR: Why’d you leave me? Did you hate me that much?
Terrified, Anna watches Connor talking to the wall and starts sobbing again.
DARLA: Baby, no. I wanted to be with you more than anything.
CONNOR: You killed yourself. I wasn’t even born yet and you—
DARLA:— did what I had to. My life for yours. I did so many terrible things, Connor. So much destruction. So much pain. You were the one good thing I ever did. The only good thing. I’d die every day for the rest of eternity for you… and this is how you repay me?
"Inside Out" (S4,Ep17)

Connor was an impossible birth and had a heavy destiny ahead of him. He was raised in the worth of hell diminutions all the while having his mind twisted and poisoned by the person he called father. He was constantly being chased by horrible monsters that wanted him dead, his entire life was a fight and struggle. When he came back to his birth dimension he was not ready for all the things he came across or for who his real father, Angel really was. He was still manipulated by Holtz up to Holtz's death.

Connor thought he found someone else who loved him, Cordelia, but he was being manipulated again by a higher being that needed him. He was a pawn once again to create a vessel where she can inhabit and therefore come into our dimension to rule and control it. Months more of lies to twist his heart and mind. All the lies about his mother from Holtz made Connor not believe what Darla's spirit had to say when she tried to save him from sacrificing an innocent.

All he wanted was to be loved and to be a part of something. In the end he knew he had to kill his own daughter, Jasmine the higher being that manipulated him. He wanted to die for being bad, just like Faith. They tried to twist Angel into killing them in order to end their suffering.

The power of Angel's love bought Connor a new life as part of a normal and healthy family with no memories of all that he lived through before. What will the price that Angel will have to pay for this new life. He was granted it in exchange for taking over the newly rebuilt L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart, the very organization that has been trying to destroy him for four years.

Connor was a fallen angel that never had the opportunity to try and redeem himself unless you count killing Jasmine as part of his penance. He was the product of years of poison and pain, he never had a real chance to blossom

SKIP: Do you really think it matters? I mean, nothing I tell you is going to change what’s going to happen.
ANGEL: Cut the doom and gloom. What’s taken over Cordy?
SKIP: Something beyond your comprehension. To give it voice would render your feeble brain into a quivering mass of—
ANGEL: Fred? Infinite agony.
Fred stands up with her spell book but Skip holds up his hand in surrender.
SKIP: Okay, you got me. It doesn’t even have a name.
GUNN: Then what do you call it?
SKIP: You know, “master” or “hey”.
LORNE: Unspeakable horror. For real this time.
ANGEL: No, it doesn’t make sense. Cordy was made a higher being because she proved herself to the Powers by bearing their visions. This thing couldn’t—
WESLEY: Unless it maneuvered her to inherit the visions in the first place.
SKIP: Uh-oh. Better step on it. The rubes are catching up.
ANGEL: It wasn’t just her ascension. Everything that’s happened to Cordy in the past few years, all of it, was planned.
SKIP: You really think it stops with her, amigo? Do you have any concept of how many lines have to intersect in order for a thing like this to play out? How many events have to be nudged in just the right direction? (to Lorne) Leaving Pylea. (to Gunn) Your sister. (to Fred) Opening the wrong book. (to Wesley) Sleeping with the enemy. Gosh, I love a story with scope.
GUNN: No way. We make our own choices.
SKIP: Yeah, sure. A cheese sandwich here, when to floss… but the big stuff, like two vampires squeezing out a kid?
ANGEL: Connor…
WESLEY: An impossible birth to make one possible.
SKIP: That’s what the kid was designed for.
LORNE: To sleep with Mother Love?
ANGEL: To create a vessel.
SKIP: Look out, the monkey’s thinking again.
ANGEL: Being inside a human makes it vulnerable, doesn’t it? That’s why it had to stay hidden. Why it needed to create something stronger to pour itself into.
GUNN: Wait, so the big nasty inside of Cordy is going to give birth to itself?
SKIP: Circle of life. It’s a beautiful thing.
ANGEL: How do we stop it?
SKIP: Well, that’s the easy part, slick. All you gotta do is find Cordelia and chop her head off.
ANGEL: Has to be another way.
SKIP: Sure. Stab her in the heart, kidney… a couple of pokes in the lung.
ANGEL: A way that won’t kill Cordy in the process.
SKIP: It takes a whole lotta crammin’ to get that much sweetness into a human. It’s in every hair, every cell, every molecule of Cordelia’s body, and it ain’t letting go until it’s got a brand new bag.
FRED: What happens to Cordy then?
SKIP: Drained of her life force during labor. Those contractions are a real bitch.
ANGEL: It’ll kill her?
SKIP: Or she’ll end up a head of cabbage.
WESLEY: (to Angel) What do you want to do?
SKIP: The only thing he can do. Kill the woman he loves and save the world. (to Angel) Times like this, really gotta suck being you.
ANGEL: (agonized) How do I find her? How?

FRED: What do you think he’ll do?
GUNN: What he has to, like he always does.
FRED: Will it make a difference? If we really are just pieces being moved around a board…
GUNN: Then we’ll kick it over and start a new game. Look, monochrome can yap all he wants about no-name’s cosmic plan but here’s a little something I picked up rubbin’ mojos these past couple of years: the final score can’t be rigged. I don’t care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here’s the thing— you never know when you’re taking it. It could be when you’re duking it out with the legion of doom or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you, the world in the balance, ’cause you never know when it is.
FRED: (smiles) You been practicing that?
GUNN: (laughs) Little bit.

GUNN: Let’s load up.
ANGEL: No, you’re not coming, any of you. Whatever’s taken over Cordy, it’s still her inside. She’s still our friend. She’s still the woman I… I won’t let you carry that. I can’t.
SKIP: Anybody got a hanky?
FRED: He’s really going to do it. He’s going to kill Cordelia.
WESLEY: He doesn’t have a choice.
Angel takes a broadsword and heads for the door.
FRED: Angel, wait!
He turns to Fred and shakes his head, then walks out, leaving the others in stunned silence.
SKIP: Yep. That’ll go well.

"Inside Out" (AtS Season 4, Episode 17)

It dawns on Wesley who really killed Lilah.
WESLEY: It was Cordelia… she murdered Lilah.
ANGEL: We don’t know if it’s really Cordy.
FRED: Or what she’s got baking in her oven.
GUNN: Evil and pregnant? I’m guessing it ain’t cookies.

Connor leads Cordelia into the dim and dusty storeroom of an old meat packing facility. Barbed metal hooks line the walls and hang from the ceiling and stainless steel cutting tables are spaced about the room.
CORDELIA: Are you sure Angel won’t be able to follow us?
(Cordelia set it up to look like she was being attached)
CONNOR: I was careful.
CORDELIA: How careful?
CONNOR: Why were they trying to hurt you?
CORDELIA: You know why. They’re afraid. Of you… of me… what our love has created. They were going to kill it— and me— if you hadn’t come.
CONNOR: I didn’t know where you were. I thought something bad
might have happened, followed your scent. But I never thought… how could he do that?
CORDELIA: Because he hates you. I didn’t want to believe it but he does. He hates you for being with me. He can’t stand the fact that he lost, that he’ll never know the feel of my touch… or the warmth of my lips. (kisses him) You were right about Angel. He’s an animal and he’s turned everyone against us.
She appears on the verge of tears and Connor hugs her tightly.
CONNOR: I’ll kill them all before I let them hurt you.
CORDELIA: My sweet, sweet boy…

CONNOR: I know. I just… I can’t believe he tried to kill you. Maybe it wasn’t really Angel.
CORDELIA: Connor…
CONNOR: Angelus could have tricked us again and—
CORDELIA: (firm) It was Angel. You know it was.
CONNOR: Everything he said, about how I could help make the world a better place… about being a champion.
CORDELIA: Lies. Meant to keep you in your place. Where he could watch you… control you.
CONNOR: But Fred? Gunn? Wesley? Even Lorne… I thought they were… good.
CORDELIA: (annoyed) What does that mean? Really? Being good, doing the right thing— by whose judgment? Good, evil… they’re just words, Connor. Concepts of morality they forced around your neck to yank you wherever they please. You’re with me now. You don’t have to live by their rules. You remember why?
CONNOR: Because we’re special.
CORDELIA: That’s right. We’re special and our baby… is going to be extraordinary.

"Inside Out" (AtS Season 4, Episode 17)