Author's Note: AU: AtS season 3, just after Couplet, but it's been a few weeks since the arrival of the Groosalugg, Cordy and Groo are together but didn't go away on vacation, and there is considerable creative license in the way the events in Loyalty and Sleep Tight have been portrayed. Spoilers for Angel up to Season 3 and BtVS season 6.
Genre: Angel/Cordelia, Fred/Gunn
Plot summary: Groo is slowly realizing that Cordy doesn't have room in her life for both him and Angel, and contemplates a tough decision. The gang is investigating where Angel's newfound blood lust is coming from and why he acting a bit too much like his former self. Wes is being secretive about the Nyazian prophecies, and Buffy chooses this moment to come to town to confront Angel about sleeping with Darla and having a son.
Disclaimer: Joss is boss, I'm playing with his characters but we all know they're not mine.
Chapter One
Krevlorneswath of the Death Wok Clan, or Lorne, for short, stepped gingerly into the darkened lobby of the Hyperion Hotel through the back entrance that led in from the garden. It was 2 am, and he had only just returned from a karaoke/ destiny party at the ranch home of some of his hippie demon friends in Topanga Canyon, and he was wiped. All the green empath demon was thinking about was mixing himself a nice, tall Sea Breeze and retreating under the warm covers of his bed, when he looked up and was momentarily transfixed by the scene in front of him.
Cordelia Chase, the tall brunette goddess of a Seer, was standing near the giant gray poof chair that graced the lobby, gazing lovingly at baby Connor, as she rocked him in her arms, an empty bottle clasped in her right hand. He was gazing back into her luminous hazel eyes and reached up to yank on a chunk of her hair, which was currently short and light-brown with blond highlights.
"Youch, you little devil, you're gonna have your daddy's super-strength aren't ya?" she whispered teasingly.
Lorne began idly wondering if Cordy would ever consider returning her hair to its original glory, those long deep-chestnut curls that bounced ever so provocatively just above her breasts. But all thoughts of hair and fashion were pushed from his mind when Cordy began humming a lullaby to the little nipper, trying to coax him back to sleep.
"Lullaby and good night, and some words I cannot think of, la la la, la la la, tell the whole world good night…"
Lorne couldn't help but read Cordy's aura; it was filled with such a pure, soft overwhelming love for the child. Lorne leaned his horned head against the door frame and smiled.
Cordy continued, "Oh who am I kidding? You got to go with what you know. You don't mind Madonna, right? You're not old enough to realize that these lyrics are wildly inappropriate … Okay here goes. I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it through-OOH. Didn't know how lost I was until I found you. I was beat, incomplete, I'd been had, I'd been sad and blue but you made me FEEL, yeah you make me feel, shiny and new. Like a virgin, touched for the very first time …"
Suddenly the love that was rising up from Cordelia's energy field in big, billowy waves had nothing to do with the baby, and everything to do with his—
"Lorne!"
The demon, jumped, startled out of his reading. "Yes, Princess?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing Lorne, and as far as I'm concerned, reading me without my consent is on the same level of snoopy-ness as poking around in my underwear drawer, not that I'm accusing anyone-"
"It was Gunn."
"I knew it!"
"But he would have never done it if there wasn't a coma involved."
"Yeah, because if I had been conscious, he would have known there would have been consequences in the form of a throw-down, and hey, don't laugh at me, I've got demon-y powers, you know."
"Oh, believe me, I know! My noggin is smarting just thinking about them. But back to the point, Princess, why don't you just tell him?"
"Tell who what?" Cordelia's tone betrayed nothing but what appeared to be innocent confusion.
"I think you know. Tall, dark, and scrumptious, goes by the title of champion… you've gotta let him know how you feel about him."
"Lorne, don't be silly, Groo already knows how amazing I think he is."
"Princess, we both know I wasn't talking about the Groosalugg, as fine a fellow as he is."
Cordelia's eyes darkened and flashed a warning. "Well, I was," she intoned in a low, even voice. "Now can we save this debate for the morning? I really need to get this baby to fall asleep before I do." She collapsed backward onto the poof, stroking the baby's scant blonde hair with a slim finger. Lorne sat down next to her and wisely decided to change the subject.
"So Princess, speaking of the Groosalugg, why exactly is it that you're here at the hotel instead of home with him taking advantage of that mystical prophylactic?"
Cordelia's eyes twinkled mischieviously. "Oh, believe me, advantage has been taken, and re-taken, and well, you get the point. But I'm here because of Angel." At this, Lorne couldn't help but let a knowing glance escape, which was not lost on Cordy. "I'm here because Angel has been acting weird lately," she amended. "He's been acting less like himself and a bit more like Angelus, and until Wes and Fred can figure out why, I said I'd stay to watch Connor, you know, keep him safe."
"Safe from Angel?" Lorne was incredulous. "But Angel would never so much as hurt a hair on the little nipper's head."
"I know he wouldn't. But Angelus would; he would chow down on him like a tasty hors d'oevre, and there is definitely something not-right going on." Cordelia's last words trailed off, as she frowned at the wall pensively. "I just hope they figure it out and fast."
"Cordelia, not to rain down more gloom on this broodfest, but how safe are you going to be staying here if Angelus is really coming out to play? Wouldn't he be serving you up as the entree as soon as he'd finished snacking on Connor?"
"Well, theoretically, yeah. But now that you mention it, his weirdness has been pretty Connor-specific. He's been pretty normal with me, well, Angel-normal, but yesterday he really lost it and practically yelled at this little guy for basically just being a baby. At first I thought he just needed a break, you know? The single dad thing was just getting to be too overwhelming. But then Gunn and Wes said that he went all commando on a couple of demon rockers they were fighting and seemed to enjoy the kill way too much. That's when we decided I should stick around and keep an eye on this guy until the gang could figure things out."
"Hmmm, what else has he been doing that's out of character?"
"Well, not too much. He's been a bit on the cranky and guarded side, but that is one of his characters, and he is under a lot of stress what with being a new dad, and dealing with all these crazy vampire cults who are after Connor, not to mention the boys at Wolfram and Hart. The only other thing I can think of is that, well, he has been drinking a lot."
"Nothing wrong with that, in fact, I almost forgot, I was about to make myself a cool, refreshing Sea Breeze. Are you up for a nightcap, Princess? "
"Not alcohol, Lorne. Blood."
"Hmm, he's been drinking a lot of blood, and lusting for the kill, and acting evil around Connor…"
"Oh my God, Lorne, that's it! You're a genius! Why didn't we see this earlier? Wes has been so preoccupied with that new prophecy of his, he totally missed it, but that's it!"
"Um, Princess, I think I may still be missing it. What was the genius-y thing that I just discovered?"
"Angel's been drinking Connor's blood! That's why he's been acting like such a nutjob!"
"How's that?"
"Someone must have spiked his supply. Maybe someone from the doctor's office after Connor's last visit when they drew his blood for all those baby check-ups. I've got to go wake up Fred so she can get with the microscope and do that whole science thing she does to see if I'm right! Here, take the baby." Cordy thrust a finally-sleeping Connor into Lorne's arms.
"Cordy, wait, I'm not sure if now is really the best time …" Lorne's warning fell on deaf ears, as Cordy dashed up the stairs at record speed, eyes gleaming. She was about to tap on Fred's door when her hand froze in mid-air, halted by the soft moans and oh, Charles-es coming from behind the door. Cordy's eyebrows flew up as she shook her head and stepped back from the door.
"Yikes, I'm not putting my foot in the middle of that one," she thought. "Our little Fred, huh? Not so innocent after all."
Cordelia's descent to the lobby was considerably more measured. She plonked down next to Lorne. "Guess you were right, it'll have to wait 'til morning," she acceded. "What happened here?" she asked, referring to the now-fussing baby squirming in Lorne's green arms. "You were supposed to be sleeping, mister!"
"Yeah well, I guess he missed your singing." Lorne teased, handing Connor back to his Aunt Cordy. Cordy smiled down at the vampire's child and gave him a pinky to chew on, which he seemed to like, judging from his cooing and chortling.
"Well, I would finish the song if it weren't for a certain karaoke lounge lizard who can't keep his empathy to himself." Cordelia said pointedly. Lorne smiled sheepishly.
"My apologies, Princess, but it was involuntary. I read you and Angelcakes the way you guys read highway signs. Big, giant highway signs written in capital letters that glow in the dark." Cordy tilted her head and gave him a scathing look by way of a response. "Well, okay, how about you hold him, and I do the singing?" Lorne suggested, winning him one of Cordelia's trademark million-dollar smiles.
"Okay, good compromise, but I'm warning you, the kid likes Madonna."
"And whose fault it that, I wonder." Lorne quipped. "Well, at least it's not Manilow." Twenty minutes later, Connor was fast asleep in Cordy's arms, and the demon and the seer were glazed over with exhaustion. Unfortunately, every time Cordy rose to take herself and the infant upstairs to bed, a plaintive squawk would erupt from the child's mouth, and two minutes after she'd sit back down, he would return to slumberland. After five attempts, Cordy was ready to acquiesce.
"Okay, Connor, I give up, you win. Lorne, can you just cover me up with a blanket or something? I think we're gonna camp out on the poof for the rest of the night, if you can even call it night anymore." Lorne helped Cordelia get as comfortable as possible on the strange, round sofa that held a central spot in lobby and wrapped her snugly in soft blankets, making sure the baby's face was far enough away from the cloth. Cordy was out as soon as she leaned her head back against the upholstery. Lorne smiled down on the pair as he walked up to his room, sadly sans Sea Breeze, and wondered when Cordelia was finally going to buy herself a one-way ticket out of Denialville. Still, he could understand her reluctance to give up her earnest, affectionate Groosalugg in favor of the broody vampire whose soulless alter ego would be unleashed on the world if ever they gave shared a moment of pure happiness, (read orgasm). A vampire, whose soul he knew Cordelia still believed would forever belong to the tiny blonde slayer who had first captured it back in Sunnydale.
After four blissful hours of uninterrupted sleep, Cordelia Chase awoke to find herself still dressed in yesterday's sweats, tank top and hoodie, her body draped awkwardly on the poof in the lobby, blankets slipping to the floor, with the baby, thankfully still sleeping in her arms. Arms that had now gone numb. As she straightened and tried to work the cricks out of her neck, she noticed a slight figure standing in the doorway of the main entrance to the Hyperion. The girl was petite, with long blond hair that had been curled and was held back from her face with a clip. She was dressed in red leather pants and a tight-fitting black tank top. Her face was stony. Cordy rose, letting the blankets fall fully to the floor, and stretched with the one arm not holding Connor, then checked his diaper. Yup, it was wet. She stared at the Slayer, her mind still foggy with sleep.
"Cordelia?" Buffy's greeting sounded more like a question. "God, you look … bad. Since when did you start wearing sweats?"
"Since I stopped thinking it was smart to be paying the dry cleaner a gazillion dollars a week to get spit-up and demon pus out of everything I own," Cordelia retorted. "What are you doing here?"
Buffy ignored the question, and continued to approach Cordy and Connor. "So it's true, then?" she said, finally, eyes locked onto the infant's form. "He really did this, he really slept with Darla."
"Not just Darla." Cordy muttered under her breath, thinking some of Angel's other chippies with a twist in her stomach that felt suspiciously like jealousy. Buffy didn't seem to hear.
"And he was Angel, not Angelus? You're sure about that." Cordelia shot her a look.
"Do you really think we'd be here, standing around having this conversation if he'd been Angelus?"
Buffy shrugged. She knew that was true, but still, it was hard to believe that Angel could have done something so rash; something that he knew could have put his friends' lives jeopardy.
"It just doesn't seem like something he'd do. He's always so … responsible," she said after a long moment.
"Well, he didn't realize that protection would be an issue. Vampire seed, generally not so good for the baby-making, remember?"
"You know that's not what I meant, Cordelia."
"Well, yeah." For a long moment the two women just looked at one another, trying to read each other's intentions. Finally it was Cordelia who spoke. "Look Buffy, don't get me wrong, it's great to see you, and I totally get why this Connor thing is weird for you, but there is a lot going on here, a lot that you don't understand. We have some serious 'world-ending' stuff to deal with and Angel is not in a good way right now. I think I might have figured out how to fix that but I won't be sure until Fred gets her skinny butt down here, which given the way things are going with her and Gunn, may be awhile-"
"Cordelia, you're rambling."
"Right. Anyway, as I was saying, we've got serious work to do, and you being here is just going to tie Angel up in knots and make everything harder, so frankly, you being jealous and showing up to admonish Angel for not keeping it in his pants is just NOT my priority right now." Buffy's expression was hard to read, but Cordy could tell she wasn't appreciating being lectured about priorities by someone she still saw as vain and frivolous. "So why don't I just tell him you stopped by and you can get on out of here and enjoy your Saturday?"
Buffy shrugged off her comments without pause. "Where's Angel?"
Cordy sighed. "Ok, fine, I'll tell him you're here. But when this all ends badly, don't say I didn't warn you."
Buffy shot Cordy a look, "Cordelia!"
"Alright, alright, just hang out down here for a minute and I'll get him."
Connor had started fussing, reminding Cordy of her original intention to go change him and get to work. She silently turned and walked up the steps leading from the lobby to the 2nd floor hallway and entered Angel's suite where Connor's nursery was. Cordy wasn't quite sure why Buffy's presence had thrown her the way that it had. She was feeling strangely protective of Angel, which had become kind of a thing lately. Poor Groo, he was having a hard time understanding why she was so invested in the guy. It certainly wasn't romantic, the way Groo suspected it was. But it was more than just work, more than just friendship. She had been dosed with demon DNA for that man, and that was a bond that defied verbal explanation. With a sigh, Cordy finished getting the baby changed and dressed when she sensed Angel standing behind her. Without turning around, she said "Oh, hey, sorry if we woke you up. The little man needed some clean clothes."
"Don't worry about it. But that's not what woke me up." Angel put a hand on Cordy's shoulder and nudged her so that she turned to face him. "What is going on downstairs?" Cordy looked up at him, apprehension clearly visible in her wide, hazel eyes.
"In a word? Buffy."
"Buffy?" Angel's shock was apparent in his voice. "What do you mean? She- she's here? What is she-"
"She's here to yell at you for being a man-whore and impregnating Darla." Angel's look said it all. "I know, right? She kind missed the bandwagon on the one."
"I'm not sure I can handle seeing Buffy right now."
"Well, I tried to make her go away but she's really stubborn." Cordy noticed the chiding look Angel was giving her. "What?"
"You told her to leave?"
"Well, I was nice about it … sort of. I'm sorry Angel, but I really don't want her getting to you, especially not now when we've got to make sure you don't go all psycho-vamp and eat Connor, not to mention we still need to figure out this Tro-clon dealio." Angel raised one eyebrow and tilted his head to the side slightly, choosing not to react to Cordy's characteristic painfully direct turn of phrase.
"Any progress there? Have you talked to Wes or Fred?"
"Yes! And no. Wes fell asleep in the office, and Fred … well, I was giving her a little time to, uh, recover from last night, but I was actually on my to wake her up because I think I know why you've been not-yourself lately, and I just need her science whiz skills to prove it." Angel brightened at Cordelia's excitement.
"What is it, what do you think is causing this?" he asked.
"Well, let me just get Fred to do this one thing and then I'll explain, but in the meantime, just do me a favor, and lay off the O-pos until we talk to you."
"But Cor, it's getting late, I'm kinda hungry."
"I know, and don't. Give me the old stuff you've got in your fridge and go out and get something fresh from the butcher, okay? Please, just trust me."
"Okay," he shrugged, pulling on a charcoal-gray sweater over the white wifebeater he had on when had gotten out of bed to talk to Cordy. "I guess I'd better go down there and talk to Buffy."
"Yeah, good luck with that. But, I gotta warn you, she's pretty pissed. Oh, and Angel-"
"What is it, Cordy?"
"She's wearing leather."