A/N: For the sake of continuity and storylines and all that, let's say that pretty much everything from seasons 1-3 has and will still happen in this little universe, with the exception of Connor and the firing of C/W/G.
Not my best chapter, but I'm anxious to get to the meat of the story: the kids and how they interact with the Trio.
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She'd laid out her numerous and very specific conditions for taking home the babies to the guys, and they'd agreed immediately. Since the kids were perfectly healthy, the doctor had given permission to take them with her when she checked out, but all three of them had had a problem with that. Thing was, they had the babies, but they didn't have anything else.
A serious shopping trip was in order, which helped appease Cordelia a great deal because it was going to be at Angel's expense. So they left the babies at the hospital and she and Wesley spent an entire day and several thousand dollars on baby stuff while Angel stayed at the office to handle the cases.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" They had stopped for lunch, and Cordelia was begging to feel second thoughts trying to push their way in, so she needed reassurance. Wesley paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and thought about it. "I don't see a better alternative," he answered finally.
"Cuz you know this is for life, right? And you and Angel promised me that we're sharing the responsibility equally, so that means you can't just give them back at the end of the day. There are going to be times -- a lot of times -- where you'll have to keep some of 'em overnight, so-"
"Cordelia," He interrupted gently. "I understand that. It's a little hard to absorb, but I understand. Angel and I-"
"Are as much their parents as I am, as far as I'm concerned. Are you prepared to be 'Daddy'?"
Wesley stopped, dragged in a breath. He hadn't thought of it like that. Him, a father? That was.... questionable. But then, Cordelia was in the same boat, only worse. "About as prepared as you are to be 'Mummy', but we'll make it work. Okay?" She nodded curtly, then suddenly started to laugh.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face?"
"No. I was just imaging Angel trying to deal with six screaming babies." It certainly painted an amusing picture so Wesley joined in her laughter. "Or worse," he said between giggles. "Six teenagers."
That caused Cordy to laugh harder, then abruptly stop. A look of horror clouded her beautiful features. "Oh my god. Teenagers! We're going to have six of them! At once!"
The thought was more unsettling than Wesley could have imagined. Suddenly he wasn't so hungry anymore and pushed his plate away. They sat in contemplative silence for a few moments.
Cordelia reached for her iced tea. "You know what? We'll just let Angel handle the teen years." Wesley smiled, his appetite returning at the thought. "Good idea. And you know, you'll still be a young woman by the time they're almost grown."
She smiled then, brilliantly. "You're right! I didn't think about that. So, dessert? It's on Angel."
"Don't mind if I do."
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"Vision! Oh, God! Angel, vision!"
They had decided to bring the kids to the office for the first day or two until they got a schedule hammered out. They had just stepped over the threshold when she felt telltale sign of a vision start at the back of her skull. She managed to get the two baby carriers she was holding to the floor just before the vision hit, then dropped down next to them as pain and images ripped through her head.
Instantly Angel was at her side, helping her to a chair once the vision was over. "Park on Magnolia; big nasty demon with spikes down it's arms," She gasped out as residual vision pain morphed into a dull ache. "Two teenagers making out. You have to go now. Hurry."
"Wesley, take care of her," he instructed over his shoulder as he grabbed a couple of weapons from the chest and headed out the door.
Drawing in a calming breath, Cordelia went to her desk for some extra-strength Tylenol. Downing three without water, she took stock of the situation. There were babies in carriers littering the floor where she and Angel had dropped them; Wesley was placing his two near the elevator that led to Angel's basement apartment. Moving to gather the rest of the babies, she frowned.
"I knew this would be a disaster."
"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked, adjusting the blanket of the kid in the carrier closest to him. She waved a hand in the direction of the four still spread around the room. "This. My visions. What happens if I get one while I'm holding one of them? Or if I'm all alone with them? What about when a demon attacks us here? It's inevitable -- you know it is. What then?"
A blind person could have seen that Cordelia was on the edge, of what he wasn't sure. A breakdown, a tantrum, something, so he went over to her and looked her square in the eye. "I understand your concern, Cordelia. I do. But no matter what happens, we will deal with it. We'll do anything we have to to keep them safe."
"Alright," she said, gathering all the strength and confidence she could muster. You're right. These babies are depending on us, and we can't let them down. Here, get these two."
Following her instruction, Wesley picked up the carriers at his feet and placed them in the middle of the room. Cordelia placed the other four beside them in a row so that all six were in a line. Then she rearranged them so that the girls were together on one side and the boys on the other. Fisting her hands on her hips, she stood back to admire her work. Wesley sidled up next to her. "What are you doing?"
"I'm thinking," she muttered. She stared hard at them for another minute in complete silence (a first for her, in Wesley's opinion) before throwing up her hands in defeat. "I can't tell them apart. At all. Can you?"
Wes studied the children hard, searching for distinct characteristics on each -- or any, really. In the end, it proved fruitless. The girls all looked the same, as did the boys. In fact, he wouldn't have even been able to tell the sex if not for the coloured blankets and clothes the babies were wearing, but figured that was typical of all infants.
He finally admitted defeat. "No, I can't."
"That's what I thought. We're going to need to do something to tell them apart. And we have to name them, but we'll wait for Angel for that. What else?"
"Schedule. We need to organize one, who gets which baby when, that sort of thing."
"Okay, you can handle that."
"Why thank you," Wesley replied dryly. "I would also like to do some research on their demon side, see what we can expect from that in the future." Cordelia shuddered at the thought. "Good idea. Great idea, in fact. So we're good?" Wesley nodded. "I really do think things will be fine, Cordelia."
And in that instant the phone started ringing and one of the babies who'd woken without their knowledge started crying, which set the one beside her off too.
Sending Wesley a scathing look, she said, "You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you? You get the girls, I'll get the phone." She picked up the receiver before he had a chance to argue. "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless."
Wesley sighed and scrambled to shush the girls before they woke any of the others. He finally had to resort to picking one of them up and rocking the other's carrier with his foot. "Cordelia-" She held up a finger as she was jotting down information. Seeing the bind Wes was in, she grinned and stuck her tongue out at him.
A little put out by her insensitivity, he childishly returned the gesture, only to have the bloody woman roll her eyes and turn her back on him. In retaliation he took the baby and placed her on Cordelia's desk to see if she needed a diaper change. She didn't. Then he figured she might be hungry.
"Can you heat up a bottle?" He asked, once Cordelia hung up the phone. She nodded, then stopped. "Where are they?"
"In the bag."
"Where's the bag?"
"You had it earlier, where did you leave it?"
"I don't remember! Wait- in the car. I left it in the car.... which Angel took. Damn."
"Well we can't just let her go hungry until Angel gets back."
"I know that!" Cordelia snapped. "Is your motorcycle here?"
"Yes, why?"
"Then you can go and find Angel and get the food."
He raised a brow. "Or you could walk to the store two blocks away and buy some."
She glared. "Or that." Snatching up her purse, she strode out the door, leaving Wesley alone with two crying infants, and four more who were just beginning to wake up. Sighing heavily, he looked down at the little girl in his arms.
"We no longer just help the hopeless. We are the hopeless."
