Title: Once and Again
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Set in the future, Angel explains to his newest crew about his family, and the woman he loved.
A/N: For the purposes of this fic, Cordy's memory is in tact. Also, I wrote of a huge apocalyptic event. It has nothing to do with the vision Lorne sees. This is purely from my mind.
She wasn't quite sure she wanted to do this. Not when he was in a mood like this. Not now. But what choice did she have? He was her friend. She had to be there for him... even when he was brooding. She breathed in deeply and tried to regain courage. Then, Talon knocked on his door softly. Hoping he didn't hear it, but knowing he did, she waited. After a minute of no response, she turned to leave.
"Talon."
She turned when she heard his voice. "Angel. I... I just came to see if there was anything I could get for you."
"No." He said nothing more as he began to shut his bedroom door.
"Angel, wait." He stopped and looked at her expectantly. "I. I just wanted to say... you should come down. Visit. Joseph and Dave are downstairs, waiting. We brought gifts for you. And a cake... I know you don't eat, but hey, just humor us? It's not everyday you turn 260, right?" Talon flashed a smile. "Come on, old man, times wasting away! Before you know it you'll be coming up on 300! Don't want to miss out on your childhood, do you?"
Angel smiled a little and stepped out of his room and into the hallway. Talon smiled wider as she led him down into the lobby of the Hyperion. "I got him!" She said to her two companions sitting on the couch.
"Angel." David said as he stood to greet them. "About time."
Angel nodded at him and cast a glance at Joseph, Talon's brother. He wasn't quite sure when exactly they had become a part of his team, but somewhere along the line they just stopped going home and began living with him in the hotel. He had met Talon a few years ago when he rescued her from a Trayer demon. Talon and him had bonded, and eventually she started bringing her older brother, Joseph with her. David was another lost soul he had saved along the way. After only 14 years in Los Angeles, there had been so many. He began to lose count. They were good people. Young. Maybe a little too young to be thrown into such a dangerous world... Talon had just reached adulthood at 19, and Dave and Joseph both were 23.
"So!" Joseph said, "How about blowing out the candles? Wishing for a long and happy life?"
"Maybe you could wish for a new entertainment system." A voice said from the office. Lorne made his way into the lobby. The only one who knew the real Angel. "Because, Angelcakes, your ten year old set isn't going to cut it."
"'Morning, Lorne." Talon smiled.
"Morning, sweetums. So, have I missed anything?"
"Angel was about to make a wish." Talon said happily. Angel forced a smile and Talon's face fell. "Look. I don't know why you're like this on your birthday. I wish you would just open up to us. Come on, Angel. It's been 3 years. Don't you trust us?"
"Talon." David said, clearly hinting that she was crossing a line.
"No." Angel said, "It's ok. It's just this time of year is hard without them."
"Your family. The other team." Talon said, sympathy evident in her voice.
Lorne's eyes looked to the ground. He, too, had a hard time remembering them.
"It's still hard." Angel cleared his throat. "I'm going to go into the office. And work on... something." Angel smiled forcefully and made a quick exit.
"He's impossible!" Talon muttered, then looked to Lorne. "Couldn't you explain it to us? I don't understand why he's like this, after so long!"
Lorne smiled weakly. "It's not my story to tell, honey. I better go. I've got clients to listen to." Lorne made a quick exit without so much as a goodbye.
"Did you have to bring it up?" David said to Talon, angrily.
"I just want him to open up!" Talon defended. "I feel like we're giving him all of us but we only get to see a little of him." Dave and Joseph said nothing. "I'm going to find something to do. Apparently, I'm doing no good down here." Talon made her way back upstairs. A moment later, they heard her door slam.
Another great birthday bash.
*****
If he found her, he would most definitely kill her. Maybe not literally... but still, that broody stare was enough to make anyone wish they were dead. Talon checked her watch. Way past midnight. She had made her way to the fourth floor. Usually, no one came up here. Angel slept on the third floor, and she, David, and Joseph slept on the second. No one came to the fourth floor. But now she understood why. Boxes cluttered the hallway. Not just lots of boxes, but hundreds of boxes. Boxes marked CONNOR and WES and GUNS... wait, no, not GUNS. GUNN. A couple had FRED. But at the end of the hallway, a few boxes seemed to be a little more worn than the others. Like they had been opened and closed more. CORDY was written in a beautiful hand that was distinctively Angel's. Talon checked over her shoulder before opening the box that lay on top. Pictures. So many pictures. Hundreds and thousands of pictures. Angel, holding a beautiful baby. A group of teenagers who had just graduated. A pretty blonde and a friendly looking red-head. A dorky boy and a brunette with long hair. On the back of the picture, SCOOBIES had been written in a woman's hand. But one picture in general held Talon's attention. Angel, and the brunette, who now had blonde highlights, trading the baby off in a comfortable way that only parents could manage.
Talon checked her watch again. Quarter after three! She had been looking at pictures for three hours! And she wasn't even half way through the first box. Talon felt a little cheated. The Angel in these pictures was smiley. Goofy, almost. And he seemed so at home with the young people around him. Playing video games with a bald black man, and looking in books with a charming man with glasses. And a timid looking girl, who seemed to look at him like her protector. She didn't find it fair that these people got such a wonderful Angel, while she had to struggle to communicate with this one.
"What are you doing?"
Talon jumped a foot in the air. "Geez, Angel!" She squealed. Then realized she had been caught red handed. "I... I was just..."
Angel smiled and knelt down next to her. "These are some of my favorites." He said, motioning to the few pictures Talon had in her lap.
"They're... they look very nice."
"Maybe it was just a good camera."
"I mean the people... they seem..."
"They were."
"Who's this?" Talon showed him the picture with the baby.
"That... is my son. Connor."
"You have a son?"
"Had. He would be about 26 now. I haven't seen him in about five years."
"I'm sorry. And what about..."
"Cordy?" Talon nodded as Angel took the picture from her. "She was my Seer... Cordelia was... very special."
"Connors mom?"
"In some ways. She was my first friend when I moved here. To L.A., I mean. We knew each other back in Sunnydale, too. But we didn't really talk. I knew her through the slayer. She came here with me... and she became my best friend. More than that, really."
Talon moved towards Angel a little and looked at the picture over his shoulder. "Will you tell me?"
"Pardon?"
"Tell me the story, Angel. Everything. I want to know all about you. You know everything about me."
Angel sighed. "Ok." He said, "I'll tell you. At breakfast. But go to sleep now. It's late."
Talon checked her watch. "Naw, you've got me set to vampire time. I still have four hours before it's time for bed." Angel smiled and stood up. "See you over french toast? You know we love your french toast."
"Sure." Angel replied as he began to walk away. "But don't complain to me that they go straight to your hips."
Talon watched her boss and friend walk away. Finally, she would know the secrets of Angel.
*****
"Come on, you promised!"
Angel smiled as he put the slices of toast onto Talon's plate. "I know, I know. I'm just waiting for David."
"Oh, who cares about him." Joseph said eagerly, "I'm dying to know everything."
"Alright, I'm here." David said groggily as he sat down at the table. "What's with the big meeting?"
"Shh!" Talon hissed, "Angel's going to tell us his story. We told him ours, and now it's his turn, right?"
Angel smiled and nodded as he sat down at the table. "Ok. Here goes." And he told them everything... of Darla and gypsies, Whistler and Sunnydale. Buffy and the Scoobies, The Master and the Ascension, Graduation, Russell Winters, Doyle, the Scourge, The Rouge Demon Hunter, Faith, Vocah, Darla's return and his descent into darkness. Gunn, Fred, Cordelia and her visions. Connor's birth and his departure. Holtz, his trip to the sea, and Cordelia's disappearance and her return.
"Wow." Talon said after almost three hours of his story. "Well, what happened then?"
"What do you mean?" David asked, "He just told us everything."
"Well, I don't mean to open wounds... but... the crew. Your family, how did they...?"
Angel nodded his understanding. "They died saving the world."
Flashback
Everyone was afraid. Angel could tell that much. They made a good job of not showing it. Cordelia and Fred, talking over a magazine. Lorne hovered over them, pretending to not be interested in the latest fall trends. Wesley was gushing over another ancient text and Gunn played Mario Cart. But he could smell it. Taste it. They were dreading the call. The call that would set everything into motion. Once the council called and said they had Faith, that was when it would happen. They would retrieve Faith, and then make their way to the park a few miles away, were a demon named Rah'jah was preparing to open a portal and swallow the world. Like they haven't heard that one before. The group would need all the help they could get, so the council agreed to release Faith for the battle. Wesley had agreed to rejoin the team for the time being, to help in everyway he could. Angel didn't even bother to call Buffy. He knew that there was just as much action at the Hellmouth, and there was no reason to leave it unprotected at such a dangerous time.
"What do you think would happen?" Fred asked, finally. "If we don't stop him, I mean."
"We don't need to worry about that." Wesley said, "We're going to stop him."
"I want to help."
All eyes turned to the doorway of the hotel. Connor stood by the steps, an axe in his hand.
"Don't you think you helped enough?" Fred asked bitterly.
"Fred." Cordelia said quietly, trying to calm her down.
"He's dangerous. He tried to kill Angel, how do we know he won't-"
Fred was cut short by the ringing phone. Connor was quickly forgotten as everybody turned to look at it. Wesley slowly picked it up.
"She's on her way in." *click*
Wes said nothing as he set the phone back down.
"Well, I guess it's time to get to it, huh?" Faith said as she stepped inside the hotel.
"Hello, Faith." Angel said calmly as he walked to greet her. "Everything go ok?"
"Other than being busted out of jail by the same people who tried to kill me not two years ago, it was alright."
"Ironic." Wesley said, "Almost as ironic as working with someone who tortured you not two years ago."
"Wesley." Faith made her way across the room to him. "I can't take that back. You and I both know that. I guess we both have something in common now." Wesley said nothing as he handed her a sword. "But I am sorry."
Cordelia stood and stretched. "So. Is this it? Time to rush head on into battle?"
"Before we do this-" Angel started.
"No." Cordelia said as she picked up her favorite sword. The one she used for training with Angel. "Don't say you love us. Don't say you are proud of us. Just don't Angel, because we're all going to get out of this ok. You'll see."
*****
God there was so much blood. The smell of it made Angel sick. Blood everywhere. Some of it belonged to Rah'jah, but most of it was the blood of his comrades. His family. Ahead of him, Fred lay in a twisted heap, where some of Rah'jah's minions had tossed her. She hadn't gotten back up. Wesley lay on the ground beside her, stabbed through the chest. A few yards from them, Gunn lay with a twisted neck. Angel felt so sick.
"Angel?"
Angel turned to see Faith. She was covered in blood. Most of it Rah'jah's. She had been the one to deliver the final blow. He walked to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"They're gone, aren't they?" She whispered. She hadn't even known them that well and she felt a terrible loss. She could only imagine Angel's pain.
"Yeah. They're gone..." Angel lifted his head suddenly and turned to look around the park. "Where is Cordelia?"
Faith stepped back from Angel and looked around as well. "She was with Connor last I saw. They couldn't have gotten far."
Angel nodded and began walking in the opposite direction. "We have to find her, she may be hurt. I can't lose another member of my family." Faith and Angel began walking towards the far end of the park. As they were ready to turn and check the other side, Angel finally saw what he was looking for. Connor sat on the ground, his head in his hands. Angel and Faith ran towards him. "Connor!" Angel said as he reached his side. Then he noticed her. Cordelia lay in front of him. Bloodied and beaten. A large gash sliced through her chest, probably deep enough to ruin a lung.
"Some demons..." Connor said softly. "They ambushed us."
Faith kneeled down beside Cordelia's body. "She's still alive. Her pulse is weak. She's lost a lot of blood, we have to get her to a hospital." Angel kneeled beside her and handed her the cell phone. She quickly dialed 911. Faith said she and her friends had been jumped by a group of gang-banger teenagers, and they needed assistance quickly. After a minute longer, she snapped the phone shut.
"The others? Where are they?" Connor asked.
Angel looked away. "They... they didn't make it." He whispered.
"What?" Connor asked in disbelief. "No. They had to of. They were trained. Demon hunters. They had to of made it!" Faith stood and placed a hand on his shoulder but he jerked away. "I'm going to go to them." He started to walk away. Faith looked at Angel for a moment, and he nodded. She went after Connor.
Angel lay a hand on Cordelia's forehead. "Help is coming, Cordy."
"Angel?"
"Cordelia?" Angel brought his ear to Cordelia's mouth to hear her better. "You can-"
"I lied, Angel. I said... I said everything was going to be ok. I'm sorry."
Angel grabbed her hand. "No. We're going to get you help."
"The others... they're gone, aren't they?" Angel didn't reply. Cordelia tried to sigh, but ended up coughing on her blood. "Our whole family, wiped out. But the moon does look beautiful from my point of view. I wish... you could see it the way I do now."
"Cordelia-"
"I really should go now. They're waiting for me. The whole team. But first, thank you."
"For what?"
"Taking me in. Teaching me, loving me. Being you. The list goes on. Everything good that is in me, I got from you. Goodbye, Angel. See you when you get there. And you will, too. I know you w-will."
"Cordelia, just hold on a little bit longer." Angel whispered, fighting tears. "Just a little... Cordy? Cor?" Tears spilled over Angel's eyes as he realized she wasn't there anymore.
"The paramedics are... here" Faith slowly made her way to Angel's side. She kneeled down and brushed hair off Cordy's face. "I never thought Queen C would go down saving the world." She admitted. "But I guess she proved a lot of us wrong. Angel nodded but said nothing. Faith stood up. "I'll take care of the medics." She lay a hand on Angel's shoulder. "Be proud, Angel. She went as a hero. And you know she's up there bragging to all the other angel's that she was a part of the crew that saved the world. She's proud as hell, you know she is."
*****
Nobody said anything for a long while. David and Joseph sat side by side in stoic silence. Finally, Angel stood.
"So there's my story." He said. "After that, Lorne, Faith and I kept the business running. Connor kind of headed off on his own. He stopped by to visit every now and then. Came to the rescue when we needed it. He and Faith kind of butted heads quite a few times, but I think, honestly, he looked up to her. He stopped coming round about 5 years ago. He's around L.A. somewhere. I see him once in a while. Faith is ok. I talk to her sometimes. About 4 years ago, we went our separate ways. She left for England, to make amends with the council. The Scoobies are all doing fine, as well. I don't really keep up with them. If we weren't in separate worlds then, we sure are now... Of course, there are some more players... but they... they were the important ones." He looked around for a moment, then said, "I'm going into the office. Talon, you'll handle the desk this morning?" Talon just nodded as he walked out of the kitchen.
*****
"Welcome to Angel-" Talon stopped short as she saw the visitor. "Oh. Carla."
Carla smiled coolly at Talon's rude greeting. The young Wolfram and Hart lawyer placed her briefcase on the floor. "I need to speak to Angel." She said simply.
"Angel's bu-"
"What do you want, Carla?" Angel said as he stepped into the lobby.
Carla smiled at him. "We have a problem."
"Good for you. You know where the door is, right?"
"A problem that you should have taken care of 10 years ago."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... Rah'jah is back, Angel. And he's picking up right where he left off."