There was silence for about a minute and then there was much hugging and laughing.
"Oh my God you look so like Angel!"
"Good to meet you David, I'm Wesley."
"Clare, it's so good to see you again."
Angel put his arms around Beth. "You look so like Clare O'Malley, I can't get over it." He whispered and held her close. He walked into the hotel with her, pulling her case behind him.
Cordy had Liam on one arm and Finn on the other, "Such handsome boys!" she laughed.
Gunn was walking in with Kate and Wesley was walking in with David.
Fred and I looked at one another and laughed. "This is going to be a mad two weeks." I said.
"You betchya!" she agreed and we laughed and walked in.
There was a cacophony of sound and cases all over the place when Fred and I went in to the foyer.
"Let's get sorted!" I said.
"How about a cup of tea first?" a voice suggested. The children all stopped speaking and stared when Lorne came walking in with a tray of tea, water, juice and biscuits. "Hmm I do tend to have that affect on people," he murmured.
Beth went straight over to him and asked if she could help.
"What a sweetie," he smiled, "Can I keep her?"
Everyone laughed and we all sat down at different places to have some refreshments. Angel and Cordy showed everyone to their rooms. Liam and Finn were really pleased to have their own room and didn't have to share; it was the first time ever. We all started to unpack, have a wash and begin to unwind.
We eventually found our way back downstairs and into the foyer.
"Is anyone hungry?" asked Angel.
We decided that we weren't so then Angel asked if anyone would like to go for a ride in his car for ice cream.
"What type of car do you have?" asked Finn.
"A 1967 Plymouth GTX convertible." Angel answered.
Kate, Finn and Liam all jumped up and said, "Yes, I'm in!"
"What's a 1967 Plymouth GTX convertible?" asked Beth.
Finn went over to her, put his hands out for her to get up, put his arm round his big sister and looked at Angel. "She's in too!"
Everyone else laughed as Angel led the way downstairs followed by his four young relations.
Wesley was sitting down behind the desk and I went over to him.
"I can't believe that you spoke to David all those years ago – what a coincidence!"
"Yes," he smiled, "I was quite a different person then, my life was dominated by rules which had to be obeyed." He almost sounded as though he was going to elaborate, but thought better of it.
"And now?" I asked.
He smiled. "Well when one works with Angel, rules seem to rather bent and changed." Wesley paused, "infact, sometimes there do not seem to be any rules at all, or they are constantly changing."
'Welcome to teaching' I thought
"Why didn't you tell me you had spoken to David?" I asked.
"I wasn't sure if he had spoken to you about Angel and from listening to your reactions I realized that he hadn't. I knew that when you got home, David would tell you himself."
I smiled at Wesley, "That was a good decision." and hugged him.
David had been talking to Fred, Gunn and Cordy;Wesley went over to join them. I went over to Lorne and began to clear the plates, cups and glasses up.
"Do you think David will be OK?"
"Of course he will sweetie, he loves you and the kiddiewinks and he just wants to protect you. Once he's talked to Angel and Wesley he will feel better." Lorne gave me one of his amazing smiles. "And what about your children – aren't they just so wonderful in the flesh? Beth is so loving and you can tell she is the oldest – she has a real sense of responsibility and wanting to do the right thing, and I can see why you said Liam was so like Angel – that brooding frown – he could be his twin!" We both laughed
"He also gets his brooding from Kate, she is number 1 brooder and he is number 2 brooder. Beth and Finn are opposites – they are the smiley crowd" I added.
We chatted about all sorts of different things from TV programs to the Chelsea Flower show and how to cope with thirty seven year olds – he did offer a few names of people who did calming spells. I said that depending on what the new class was like, I may just take him up on that and we both laughed.
We had been talking for a long time while we were washing up and when we came back out into the foyer David and Wesley were having what it seemed a very in depth discussion. Cordy was reading a magazine and Gunn and Fred must have wandered off somewhere else. We went over to join her and starting talking about the flight and the precision timing to try and get four very different offspring to the airport and on the right plane in plenty of time. So far we had managed it once!
The general murmur of chatting was rudely interrupted by Finn rushing in shouting, "Oh that was so cool!" His hair looked as though he had been standing in front of a wind machine and there were tell signs of chocolate in both corners of his mouth. My fourteen year old drop dead gorgeous, tall dark and handsome son resembled a very excited six year old. He continued, "Angel drove us to an old fashioned ice cream parlour and we all had huge ice creams and sodas and we sat up on those shiny chairs at the counter like in "Back to the Future" he paused to take a quick breath, "And Beth drove some of the way back! She was really good." He came and threw himself next to me on the sofa. Cordy laughed and ruffled his hair. Next to rush in, completely out of character was Liam, "Dad, Dad, it was so amazing. We drove for miles and I had a raspberry Pavlova, mint and toffee ice cream which was nearly as big as my head." He too was slightly disheveled, bore the signs of ice cream around his face and was flushed with excitement. "The car is so cool and Angel let Beth drive some of the way back down one of the really quiet country roads. We could see the stars, there were millions and it was so dark and we had the roof down it was like Close Encounters. You would have really loved it, Dad. Mum would have been freaked out!" He took a breath and looked at David, who laughed as we all did.
"Well perhaps we can do the drive again and I'll come with you."
"That would be great!" Both boys said together. Sometimes the one of the signs that they were identical twins was that they tended to say the same thing at the same time. Liam usually tutted but that evening he didn't mind in the slightest and I don't think he even noticed.
Angel then entered with his arms around Kate and Beth and all three were laughing.
"Well I think that was a very successful first trip out in L.A." I commented.
"It was brilliant, Mum and I drove on the way back." beamed Beth, "It's a good job you told me to bring my driving license; Angel had already insured me on the car for the two weeks. Isn't that brilliant?" and with that she turned and kissed Angel on the cheek.
"I wish I could drive." said Kate, very quietly. Angel stopped and turned her to him. "As soon as you can, the next time you are over here with me, I will insure the Plymouth for you. I promise."
"Really?"
"Of course, and I do keep my promises."
I personally thought that it might be hard to insure Kate once she'd passed, which she aimed to when she was seventeen. However, I would not like to be the person who said no to Angel.
We all sat together in a sort of huddle.
"So," said Cordy, "Have you decided where you want to go while you are here?"
"Well, we talked about this at home and everyone did some of their own investigating. Despite Liam and Finn wanting to do everything all at once, we have decided to pace ourselves because we know that this wont be the only time we are over here." I looked at the boys who smiled remembering all the heated conversations we had at home about how much to do when we were over here. I continued.
"There are several places we would all like to go and some places where we want to split up and visit"
"OK" replied Cordy. "I have been nominated entertainments officer and so if you tell me, I'll see what I can arrange."
"Right, the places we would all like to go to are Disneyland, Hollywood and Paramount Studios, Sunset Boulevard and the beach.
Liam and Kate would love to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain to go on rides…"
"Goliath and Tatsu." interrupted Kate.
"Kate, Beth, Liam and I would like to go to Rodeo Drive Shopping Centre
David would like to go to the Getty Museum and the Queen Mary.
Finn, Beth and I would like to go to Knott's Berry Farm Park with the rides.
David and the children would like to go to Universal Studios. Of course we know that we can't do everything this visit, but it lets you know what sort of things we like to do."
"I'll get on to it right away." she smiled, "It's an improvement on arranging for demon body parts to be disposed of." We all looked at her. "Yes, well let's just forget I just said that out loud." She got up and walked away towards the computer.
"Well I'm up for taking Liam and Kate to Six Flags." said Gunn.
"And I'd go with David to the Getty Museum." said Wesley.
"I want to go to Disneyland." added Fred
"I want to go to Knott's Berry Farm as well." laughed Fred.
"It's me for the shopping trip." piped up Cordy.
"And I'm up for Sunset Boulevard." smiled Angel.
I glanced at my watch it was 2.30am.
"We need to go to sleep or else we won't be doing anything for the next couple of days. Come on everyone. I stood up and held out my hands to Beth and Finn. They got up and held onto them.
Does everyone remember where their rooms are?"
"Mum!" came the reply.
We climbed up the stairs and went our separate ways. David said he was just going to be a minute which I took to be he was going to be talking to Angel so I left him to it. David could exist on only a few hours of sleep a night whereas I needed sleep.
I got ready for bed and as soon as my head touched the pillow I was out for the count.
A small tank could have entered our room and shot off a couple of shells and I wouldn't have noticed.
The next morning I was woken by birds singing. I felt really stupid because I didn't think they had birds in LA. I don't know why it was just one of those childhood assumptions that I never queried. I got washed and dressed, leaving David for a few more minutes. I knocked on Finn's door but there was not reply so I gently went inside. The room was empty; his bed had not been slept in. I could feel my heart racing a little because I knew how much he had wanted a room of his own. I then went to Liam's room, knocked on the door – as I entered; the same scene greeted my eyes. Bed not slept in and no sign of Liam.
Both my boys were gone.
