"I'm not really sure about this," Priestly said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Angel nodded slowly. "That's ok."
"It's just..." Priestly stopped for a moment, struggling to find the right words. "Well... I heard about you and Mom, that you were easy to talk to and I just... I don't know."
"You wanted someone to talk to," the vampire finished.
The younger man shrugged. "I guess so. Everything feels really messed up."
Angel smiled wryly. "Yeah. Welcome to the world, kid."
Another silence fell over the pair, and Priestly walked over to the window. He peered out, down onto the city streets below, before sighing again.
"I don't want to let them down," he said quietly. "Mom, Dean... even Sam. I don't hate them anymore... but I don't... Sam's my Dad, right? And I just don't feel anything, you know?"
"He doesn't feel like family," Angel guessed.
"No."
"Yet," he added. "You've only known they were family for two months. Give it time. You can't rush those feelings. They come naturally, but it might take awhile."
"But with Mom it was instant," Priestly told him. "As soon as I looked in her eyes... even before I knew the truth... I felt something. And with Dean... it took a little longer, but he's family. He feels like my older brother. That feels more and more real everyday."
"It's tricky," Angel said carefully. "You've lived your whole life thinking Sam, Faith and Dean were the enemy and not to be trusted. You've lived a life thinking someone else was your father. Of course it's going to be hard to accept someone new in that role."
"He looks at me differently," Priestly replied. "Like he's searching for something evil. Maybe I am evil. I feel it, sometimes. I almost killed Dean, almost killed Sam. I let Ty hurt Mom. I stood by and I just... did nothing. I thought I had killed Dean and I felt nothing. At all. I feel like I could kill someone and it wouldn't mean anything."
"To kill without remorse is to feel like a God," Angel mused. "But you're not a God. You're not much more than a child. And going down that path will ruin you. You can't imagine the price of true evil."
Priestly nodded slowly. "Sometimes I don't see the point. I see Mom and Dean and Sam working to save all of these people and I just... sometimes I don't get it."
"You and me, Priestly, we're a lot alike," Angel smiled slightly. "Time was, I thought humans existed only to hurt each other. But, then I came here. And I found out that there are other types of people. People who genuinely wanted to do right. And they make mistakes. And they fall down. You know, but they keep caring. Keep trying. If you can trust us, Priestly, this can all change. You don't have to disappear into the darkness."