Raising Connor - Chapter 3

Back in Sunnydale, Buffy was preparing dinner for everyone while Spike took care of the baby. They had discussed their plans about attending Angel and Cordelia's wedding, which she made it clear to him that she would stake him good and proper if he didn't behave himself when they went to LA. Buffy was going to make the announcement to the Scoobies about the wedding, since Cordy did invite them all.

Willow and Tara were in the living room talking when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Willow said as she got up to answer the door.

She opened it to reveal Xander and Anya standing there.

"Hey Xand, Anya."

"Hey Wills," Xander replied.

"Hello Willow," Anya said.

"Come in and have a seat," Willow said as she closed the door behind them.

"Hi Xander, Anya," Tara said as the couple entered the living room.

"Hi Tara," Xander said as Anya smiled and waved.

"Where's Buffy?" Xander inquired.

"She's in the kitchen finishing dinner." Willow replied.

"And I guess Spike is lurking around in there too?" Xander asked.

"No. He's upstairs with Brianna," Willow replied.

After a few minutes, Dawn came running down the stairs.

"Hey Dawnie," Xander said.

"Hey Xand, hey Anya."

Anya smiled and waved at her. Giles came downstairs when he heard the other voices; he greeted them and the couple reciprocated.

"Oh Anya, later on I will need to speak to you about the inventory at the Magic Box."

"Okay."

Buffy came out of the kitchen to greet her guests.

"Hey Buf," Xander said.

"Hi Xand, Anya," Buffy replied, looking around she noticed that her husband wasn't in the mix.

"Spike hasn't come down yet?" Buffy asked.

"No, he's still upstairs with the baby," Dawn answered her.

"We'll be sitting down to dinner soon, I'll see what's keeping him."

Buffy walked up the stairs and down the hall to the nursery, when she approached the door, saw that it was partially opened and peeked inside. She saw Spike sitting in the rocking chair slightly rocking Brianna as she slept, he looked up when he heard her at the door and smiled. Buffy walked into the room and looked down at her daughter's sleeping face then caressed her small head.

"She is so beautiful," she said smiling.

"Just like her mum."

"Thank you sweetheart."

"Your welcome luv."

"I just came up to tell you that dinner was ready and we're all waiting for you."

"Alright pet, just let me lay her down."

"You know if you pick her up every time she cries or whimpers she'll expect it all the time."

"You know it breaks my heart to hear her cry."

"I know. I also see that Brianna already has you wrapped around her little finger and she isn't even a month old yet."

"Well, she's my little girl, and I can't deny her anything."

"You're SO going to spoil her rotten."

"Am not!"

"Shhh! You'll wake her." Buffy said, reprimanding her husband.

"Besides, what are Daddy's for?"

"Okay Daddy, dinner is getting cold."

"Alright luv, here I come," Spike replied as he stood up from the chair, crossed the room to Brianna's crib and gently laid her down.

Spike pulled the blanket up to her waist then he and Buffy quietly left the room, they walked arm in arm down the stairs to the dining room to join the others. Willow, Tara and Dawn had already brought everything out of the kitchen and to the table and all they had to do was sit down.

~~~~

During their meal Buffy told everyone about Cordelia's phone call and about her upcoming wedding, she then asked the group if any of them would like to go. Buffy told them that she and her little family were going to attend and that she would be calling Cordy back to let her know how many to expect. Willow and Tara said they would go, then Giles said he would go, it was now up to Xander and Anya.

After Buffy's announcement about the wedding, Xander looked a bit stunned by the news. Cordy marrying Angel was beyond his comprehension at that moment, he didn't know how to take it. He remembered how he felt about Angel when he was with Buffy back in high school and now that it's Cordy, nothing had changed.

"Xander are you and Anya going to the wedding?" Buffy inquired.

"I don't know," he replied rather blandly.

"Come on Xander, I'd like to go to a wedding for a change, Anya begged.

"Ahn! Let me think about it, okay," he said, silencing her.

"I'm going to call her back on this, so don't take too long to think it over." Buffy replied.

With that having been said, everyone's conversation turned to other things, Xander was quiet for the remainder of the evening as he tried to come to grips with the news.

~~~~

Back at Angel Investigations . . .

Cordy sat with a sleeping Connor against her chest in a rocking chair in his room; she had just gotten him to sleep for the night. Before that, Angel had gotten a call about a demon situation, so he and the team had gone to take care of it, usually she would go with them and Fred would volunteer to sit with the baby, but tonight Cordy wanted to stay in and take care of him. She had given Connor his bath and read to him until he fell asleep. In the peace and quiet of her surroundings, she began to think about how far her life had come from the one she had back in Sunnydale and about her phone call to Buffy announcing her wedding.

She lifted her hand to look at her engagement ring and remembered the day that Angel presented it to her, it was a perfect four-carat diamond ring with a gold band. Cordy's thoughts then turned to the gang back in Sunnydale; she wondered how Xander had taken the news about her marrying Angel, since their relationship had gone so terribly wrong. After all, it was his fault that it had fallen apart because of his indiscretions with Willow, Oz had forgiven Willow, but she couldn't forgive Xander and thought it best to go on with her life. Apparently from what Buffy told her a few months ago, his relationship with Anya hadn't worked out either.

After a few moments, Cordy cleared her mind of her thoughts and looked down at her watch to see how late it had become, she realized that Angel and the crew hadn't returned yet. Holding the sleeping child against her, she slowly stood up from her chair, walked over to Connor's crib and kissed his small forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart," she whispered to the child.

Cordy gently laid the baby down in his crib and pulled his blanket up to his waist, turned on his nightlight and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

TBC . . .