Set in the early seasons of SG-1 but will primarily be set in beginnings of season 3 of Angel. This is Cordelia-center as she discovers her father that abandoned her and fled the state isn't her father. Instead, it is Jack O'Neill. I didn't want to spend time rewatching or reading scripts, so this does not mirror the exact dialogue of the episode of Angel it is centered around (Season 3 Episode 2 "That Vision-Thing"). This is a short story and won't have a lot of chapters. I hope you enjoy it as there aren't enough Cordy-centered stories out there!
Disclaimer: I do not own Angel or SG-1 or any of their characters.
Chapter 1: Trapped
*****Los Angeles*****
Angel watched Cordelia on the hospital bed, restraints tying down her hands. It was clear that she was suffering, and he hated to see it.
"Is there any change?" Wesley asked as he came into the room.
Angel shook his head. "No. It's like she's being tormented by things only she can see," he said.
"They opened up all her visions at once," Wesley said. "She's feeling the pain of countless people. It's enough to destroy her mind."
"It won't," Angel said. "Cordy is too strong. So much stronger than I ever believed."
Wesley smiled. "She's a far cry from the girl who used to care only for appearance and stature," he said.
"She hasn't been that girl in a long time," Angel said. "Probably longer than anyone realized. She was the one who fought with Buffy during the Slayerfest. Buffy said she held her own."
"Her life was so different before she met Buffy," Wesley said.
"But she didn't walk away or pretend like everyone else," Angel said. "She's a fighter, and she'll get through this." He wasn't going to accept anything else. Cordelia was their heart, the glue that held them all together. They couldn't lose her.
Cordelia, though, wasn't really aware that they were there. Instead, she saw a boy age seven being beat to death by his drunk father. She felt every blow that the dad rained down on the poor kid.
Then she saw a girl being raped in an alley and felt the horror and humiliation of the violent act.
A vampire drained a woman walking home alone after working a twelve-hour shift. The poor woman was too tired to even fight.
One after another, the nightmare images hit Cordelia's psyche. She saw and felt them all in technicolor.
The pain of it was swallowing her whole, and all she could do was cry as the visions overwhelmed her.
******Colorado-SG-1******
Jack was trying to catch up on his mission reports when he heard the sound of a transporter beam, and then Thor was standing in front of him.
"Hey, Thor. What brings you by?" he asked.
"I wanted to congratulate you on the discovery of your offspring," Thor said.
"Excuse me?" Jack said. "Offspring? I don't have any new offspring. You know I lost my boy a few years ago."
"No, I'm referring to your daughter," Thor said.
Jack pushed a button on his phone. "Daniel, Thor is in my office. Bring the team and tell the General," he said.
When they arrived, Jack looked at Thor. "So, buddy, do you want to explain how I have a daughter, and how you discovered it?" he asked.
His teammates looked surprised and General Hammond intrigued. "We have your genetic code and periodically scan hospitals and research centers for any uses of it in case it is every used for nefarious reasons," Thor explained. He looked at the team. "In fact, we have your entire team on file, and we check to see if you have any relatives that might have the genetic markers we need."
"And you came across someone that matched me? A child?" Jack asked.
Thor nodded. "Yes, we have a young girl approximately twenty years of age that was admitted into St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles," he shared. "Her name is Cordelia Chase."
Jack looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "You're positive? Her DNA is that same as mine? She's my daughter?" he asked.
"The markers are positive," Thor said. "There is no mistake."
"A child, Jack?" Daniel asked. "Did you have a relationship before your wife?"
"Nothing serious," Jack said.
"Is it possible you had one of those one-night stands American men often have?" Teal'c asked without judgment.
Jack winced as he considered his age. He would've been finishing up his sophomore year of college about to enter or just finish officer training school that summer. "I was still in college back then, so I suppose it's possible. I was in California for some training at one point," he said.
"Is the girl seriously injured?" Sam asked Thor.
"She is not exactly injured," Thor said. "Her records indicate some type of psychosis or neurological disorder."
"You should go check this out, Jack," Daniel said.
"I agree," General Hammond said. "Take a few days and find out what is happening with your daughter."
Jack felt like he was in a daze as he nodded. Daniel leaned over and told him, "I will make the arrangements, Jack."
Jack gave him a grateful look and thanked Thor.
"I look forward to meeting your offspring," Thor said before he beamed away.
"I will have Janet call the hospital and see what she can find out," Samantha said. "Then I'll see what I can find out about the woman."
"Thanks," Jack said to her. "I'll head home and grab my bag."
"Good luck," Hammond said.
*****Los Angeles*****
Wesley was sitting with Cordelia while Angel was out trying to get Wolfram & Hart to end what they were doing to Cordy. A man came in with two others and a woman. They weren't doctors, so Wesley stood up. "Can I help you?" he asked them.
"I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill. I've been told by people who are never wrong that I am biologically related to Cordelia Chase," he said, glancing at the woman on the bed, who seemed to be whimpering in pain.
"You are?" Wesley asked. "In what way?"
"I am her father," Jack said. "I believe she was the result of a one-night stand when I was a sophomore in college."
"Really? Does she know this?" Wesley asked.
"Since I found out a few hours ago, I doubt it," Jack said. "It's possible her mother might have told her. Has she mentioned it to you? Are you her husband?"
"Actually, I'm just a close friend. Cordelia isn't involved seriously with anyone, but she works with me and a few others that are quite fond of her," Wesley said. He held out his hand. "Wesley Wyndam-Price."
Jack shook his hand. "These are my friends and co-workers, Dr. Samantha Carter, and Dr. Daniel Jackson," Jack introduced.
Wesley eyed Daniel with interest, shaking their hands also. "Would you be the anthropologist Daniel Jackson?" he asked.
Daniel looked startled at being recognized. "Yes, it is one of my doctorates," he admitted.
"I really enjoyed your piece on the pyramids being used as alien landing pads," Wesley said. "Did you know that there is an ancient Sumerian text that echoes your words? I didn't see you reference that one. I called your university to tell you about it, but they told me you no longer worked there."
Daniel was intrigued. "Really? I am not familiar with much Sumerian," he said. "I know a bit, but I didn't realize they had written about aliens. Most of their text dealt with demonic folklore and myths of that nature."
"Well, if one was to entertain the existence of extraterrestrials, one must also entertain the possibilities of subterrestrials, of course," Wesley said as if it was a given.
Samantha couldn't remain silent. "Aliens could be explained by science, but monster myths have no basis in science," she protested.
"Sam is an astrophysicist," Daniel said with an easy smile.
"Ah, a true scientist," Wesley said, smiling unoffended. "Just because you haven't seen a demon does not mean that demons are not real any more than the fact that aliens might be out there somewhere."
Jack gave Samantha a look to silence her, and he looked at Daniel. "Sorry about my friend. She's a sceptic," he said. No need to provoke the very open-minded friend of his daughter.
"No problem. Most geniuses are until they encounter something that shakes their worldview," he said. He glanced at Cordelia. "If you want to know your daughter, Colonel, you must be prepared to have your world view challenged."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, frowning.
"Wes, who are these people?" Angel asked, stepping into the room. His presence seemed to fill up the place, and Jack instantly tensed, sensing a predator.
"Angel, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, and he claims to have just discovered that he is Cordelia's biological father," Wesley explained. "These are his colleagues Dr. Samantha Carter, astrophysicist, and Dr. Daniel Jackson, anthropologist and linguist of some renown."
"What is a Colonel in the military doing with to other PH. D's?" Angel inquired, suspicious. "How would you know you are Cordy's father?"
"I'm in the Air Force with Colonel O'Neill," Sam explained. "He's my commanding officer, and Dr. Jackson is a consultant for the Air Force."
Angel looked at Wesley. "A linguist and anthropologist consulting for the military?" he speculated. "So they've either got another Initiative going looking to communicate with the various demon clans, or it's aliens. Either way, we don't care. Cordelia is the only thing that matters right now, so I suggest you get the hell out and let me find a way to help her."
The group looked both shocked and confused by Angel's casual mention of demons and aliens in the same breath. However, his blunt dismissal of them, outraged Jack. "Listen here, boy, you don't get to dismiss me when my daughter is lying on the bed obviously suffering!" Jack said angrily.
Angel moved to stand directly in front of him, letting out just a glimpse of the demon in his eyes as cold rage stared back at Jack, making him flinch. As he routinely stared down system lords, this was unsettling. Who was this man?
"Prove without a doubt that you are Cordelia's father, and you can come back," Angel said. "As of now, I am her emergency contact person, and I get to say who sees her. We do not need the military messing around things that you couldn't possibly understand."
"Sir, let's get that DNA test ordered," Sam said, pulling on his arm. This cold towering figure made her nervous, and she didn't like feeling rattled.
"If you will give me your card," Wesley said, "I will contact you if there is any change in her condition."
Jack wanted to protest on principle, but Sam's warning look made him bite his tongue and nod. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that," he said. He looked at Angel. "I hope you will not get in a way of the DNA test we will order."
"No," Angel said. "If you are Cordelia's father, she will be glad to meet you. She has a huge heart, and her own parents spoiled her rotten until they got caught by the IRS. They left her destitute the last few months of high school and then disappeared. She hasn't heard from them since, so if you are her father, don't bother getting to know her if you plan on flaking, too. She's had enough heartache in her life already. But if you want to know her, I won't stand in your way."
Jack nodded, grateful for that small crumb of knowledge. Then he followed his friends out of the room.
Sam already had a phone out to call Janet, arranging the DNA test.
"That was a strange duo," Daniel remarked when they got into the evaluator. "The British guy knew my work, so he was obviously well read, yet he was completely comfortable with the idea of alien life as well as demonic."
"Obviously, a nut job," Jack said. "Demons?"
"He didn't seem like a crack pot, sir," Sam said. "He seemed intelligent and well-read."
"Do you know how few people alive read Sumerian, Jack?" Daniel said.
"That guy Angel seemed dangerous," Jack said.
"Yes," Sam agreed.
"He seemed very protective of her," Daniel said.
"At least he won't stand in the way of the DNA test," Sam pointed out.
"As if he could," Jack scoffed.
"Janet will get the test done within an hour," she said.
"Thanks," Jack said. He knew that the test would prove what he already knew because Thor would not be wrong about such a thing. He had a daughter who was a grown woman. However, he still wanted to know her.
Inside Cordelia's room, Angel told Wesley, "Lilah said that the psychic she used to unleash these visions on Cordy will stop them if I get a man out of a prison in a hell dimension."
"That sounds ominous," Wesley said. "Any information about the prisoner?"
Angel shook his head. "He has to be a real monster, though, to warrant his own place of torment," he said. "Not to mention, that Lilah and Gavin would work so hard to get him out." He walked over to Cordelia and ran his hand on her forehead, stroking her hair. "We'll stop this, Cordy. Hang in there." He bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning back to Wesley.
"Is Fred or Gunn coming to sit with her?" Wesley asked.
"I think Lorne is," Angel said. "I'm going to need them to see if they can find out anything on this Jack O'Neill. Can you contact Willow? I think it was Army that was in Sunnydale but run their names by Willow and see if she can find out anything about them."
"I can do that," Wesley said. "And if he's not connected and just happens to be the father of Cordelia?"
"Then he'll have to learn to accept a hell of lot of things about his daughter," Angel said.
Wesley nodded. "That is true. Her roommate is a ghost," he said with a small smile.
"Do you really know much about that Dr. Jackson?" Angel asked.
"He was run out of academia for that article he published that claimed the Egyptian pyramids were used as alien pads for aliens long ago," Wesley said. "He's not published since then."
"So he publishes this alien theory and is suddenly a consultant for the military?" Angel said, shaking his head. "You know Willow told Cordelia that the hell god in Sunnydale called something down from outer space to kill the crazies she'd created by her mind-sucking."
"That's right! I remember her mentioning it, and how Willow's girlfriend got mind sucked, but Willow was able to fix her," Wesley said. He was silent a moment. "Are you thinking that they are involved in the government's cover up of alien life? That would explain why they'd need someone like Dr. Jackson as he is a gifted linguist."
"It fits," Angel said. "I guess if our theory is correct, the guy would be more willing to accept Cordelia's life."
Wesley nodded. "The man would have to be very open minded to accept the fact that Cordelia is a direct conduit to the Powers That Be," he said.
"What if he learns the truth about her and bails?" Angel asked. "Can we allow her to face that type of disappointment?"
"It's not our decision to make," Wesley said. "Cordelia is a grown woman who has earned the right to decide who she wants to be close to."
That may be true, but Angel wasn't going to stand by and let anyone hurt her. Glancing at her restless form whimpering in pain, he felt a stab of guilt. She was suffering enough.
*****Chapter End*****
To refresh: This episode occurs after Cordelia had been made queen of Pylea, Lorne's home world, and where she fell for the world's champion Groosalugg, who she called Groo. She left him behind when they returned to Earth, rescuing Fred who had been trapped there for five years. If you watch BTVS and not Angel, Wolfram & Hart is the law firm of evil that Angel fights, and Lilah is the main lawyer who messes with Angel. After the other lawyer, Lindsey leaves, he is replaced by Gavin, who was played by Daniel Dae Kim before he begins his famous role on Lost. Reviews make me SO HAPPY! Take a minute to write one PLEASE!