The two Angels stared at each other while Cordy gave Wesley a hug.
"How's everyone?" she asked.
"Worried about you," Wesley replied smiling at her.
"Are you two just going to have a brooding contest or are you going to talk?" Cordy said stepping between the Angels.
Past Angel and Future Angel just nodded at each other. Past Angel noticed how Cordy and the other Angel stood so closely together.
"How's our boy?" Cordy asked Angel.
"Good, but he'll be better when we get you home," Angel said.
"So you've got a reversal spell?" Cordy asked expectantly.
"Not quite, but we're working on it," Wesley said. "It's really good to see you."
Cordy smiled at him, "The feeling's mutual. There's a lot we need to catch up on before you can send me home."
"Hi," Buffy said coming out of her shock. She gave future Angel an awkward hug.
"So I guess you don't get staked in the next few years," Xander said playing at being disappointed.
"Hi Angel," Willow said, giving him a hug.
"Wesley knows all of you but unfortunately you don't know him yet," Cordy said. "Wesley everybody. Everybody Wesley."
"Hello," Wesley said.
"I like the accent," Cordelia said, giving him a flirtatious smile.
Wesley smiled and then turned to Cordy who said, "God, it's history repeating itself isn't it?"
That's when Angel remembered the crush Cordy had on Wesley back when she was in highschool.
"What exactly did happen back then?" Angel asked sternly.
"Nothing," Wesley said quickly.
"Nothing!?" Cordy said playfully slapping Wesley on the arm. "There was something."
"A little something," Wesley agreed, smiling at Cordy affectionately.
"Wait a sec," Cordelia said, placing a hand on Wesley's arm. "We dated?"
"Not exactly," Wesley said.
Angel looked from Wesley to Cordy and frowned, "Yeah well whatever it was it's long over now."
Cordelia looked at Angel's reaction and then turned to Cordy, "You have to tell me everything later."
Realizing everyone had gotten distracted from the purpose of the meeting Giles said, "As Cordy said, there is a great deal for all of us to catch up on."
Buffy agreed, looking from Cordy to future Angel.
--
2002
Buffy was surprised, irritated, and relieved to discover that Angel had left after she had gone. She didn't know if she were more relieved or angry. He dropped huge news and didn't stick around to explain himself.
"They were really worried about Cordy and couldn't wait," Willow said.
"Did he leave a message for me at least?" Buffy asked.
Willow shook her head, "They were really in a hurry."
"Where's the baby?" Buffy asked needing to see him.
"Connor's up in my room with Lorne and Anna," Willow said.
Buffy hesitated as she slowly walked up the stairs. She paused at the bedroom door. She could hear singing. She walked into the room. Lorne was singing to and pacing with a fussy Connor. Anna sat on the bed looking for Connor's pacifier in the diaper bag.
"Here you go," she said, putting the pacifier in the baby's mouth.
"That'll settle him for a bit," Lorne said walking towards Buffy. "Do you want to hold him?"
"Yeah," Buffy said holding out her arms.
Buffy's first thought was that he smelled surprisingly good. "How old is he?"
"Two months," Lorne said.
"Why didn't he tell me?" Buffy said more to herself than Lorne.
"We've been busy," Lorne said. "Connor's been the center of our focus since he's been born. A lot has happened."
"I'm sure Angel will tell you everything once Cordy's safe," Anna said.
Buffy handed the baby back to Lorne and quickly left the room. Connor seemed to symbolize all the things he'd told her they could never have and now he had it without her. She couldn't understand why he'd let her be blind sided instead of just telling her when it happened. But there was also a hope forming in Buffy's heart. If Angel could have a child, maybe they could have a future together.
"Maybe she should sing for you," Anna suggested watching Buffy leave.
"Maybe," Lorne agreed. "I doubt she will though."
"Why?" Anna asked him.
"She'd be afraid of what I can see," Lorne said.
"I can understand that," Anna said. "When I sang to Connor after we first meet, what did you see?"
"I saw what you did and why," Lorne said. "Your father won't be able to hurt you any more once this is over."
"I'd like to believe that," Anna said. "But it's been almost like he's all powerful. Every time, I tried to get away, he always managed to catch me. The spell was my last shot. If that hadn't of worked, I don't know what I would have done."
Lorne placed Connor in his playpen which they planned to use as a temporary crib.
"This is the first time I've ever been free of him," Anna said.
"Angel, Wesley, and the others will do everything they can to save you," Lorne said.
"I know that," Anna said taking the clipping with her obituary out. She stared at it hoping it would change. "I don't want to talk about it any more. Tell me more about you. You were telling me the other night about Pylea. What about when you first came to LA?"
Lorne smiled and settled in to tell his story.
--
1999
"So we have to come up with a plan to get in Anna's house to find the spell she used to switch places with Cordy," Buffy said.
Wesley nodded, "Although that plan isn't going to be as simple as we thought considering all you've told us of Jacob's power."
"We could use his power to our advantage," Cordy said. "Giles could lift the spell protecting me. Jacob would come running to find me. While he's distracted, you guys could get in the house find the spell."
"We're not using you as bait," Angel said.
"Hello, she's the original bait girl," Cordelia pointed out. "How many times have you guys used me as bait?"
"That was different," Angel said.
"Yeah, it's different," Cordy said. "In high school, I didn't even know how to fight, but I can defend myself now."
"She's right," Buffy conceded. "But we've never seen anything like Jacob before. If he gets an advantage over you in a fight, we may not be able to save you."
"You've had no luck figuring out exactly what Smith is?" Wesley asked.
Giles shook his head, "It's been rather frustrating."
"I hacked into his records," Willow said. "On paper he's just a normal guy raising his daughter."
"Records can be doctored," Past Angel said. "There are many vampires who appear like regular guys on paper."
"Even Angel has a normal paper trail," Cordy agreed. "What about Anna's mother?"
"She died when Anna was 3," Willow said. "Car accident."
"God," Cordelia said. "She's been alone with that monster all these years."
"We have to eliminate him before we attempt to reverse the spell," Cordy realized. "Anna has to be the one to face him or at least her body is. We can't head back to the future and leave her to fend for herself."
"We know that Cordy," Angel said. "But why do you have to put yourself at risk like this."
"Anna doesn't know how to fight back," Cordy said. "I do. It has to me facing him."
"There might be another way," Angel said.
"A spell to decrease his strength or increase ours possibly," Wesley suggested.
"I'm looking in to that," Giles said.
"We'll find some other option that doesn't put you at risk," Angel said. "You read the article. Anna Smith dies in two days."
"Angel, we can prevent that," Cordy said.
"The spell to switch Cordy and Anna is in Jacobs house. We have to go through him to set things right," Past Angel pointed out.
"This is the way is has to be, Angel," Cordy said. "The rest of you are in more danger than I am."
Terror crept through Angel. They were right and Cordy facing Jacob was the logical choice.
Angel refused to listen, "Connor's lost one mother. Do you want him to lose another?"
Cordy yelled, "You have no right using Connor to manipulate me!"
She stormed out of the library before Angel could respond.
"It's her decision, Angel," Wesley said. "We don't have to like it, but we have to respect it."
"We don't have a lot of options," Buffy said. "Cordy's the only one who stands a chance against Smith."
"Cordy's plan is the best we've got,"Giles agreed.
"How else do we get Jacob out of his house if we don't use Cordy?" Xander said.
"We'll do what we can to minimize the risk," Past Angel promised.
"Too much has happened for me to lose her now," Angel said simply before leaving the library.
"We won't lose her," Wesley told the others who remained in the library.
Cordelia and Past Angel exchanged glances. Angel hadn't acted like just a concerned friend. He looked like a man afraid of risking the woman he loved.
Angel found Cordy sitting on the hallway steps.
He sat down beside her as Cordy said, "If you are going to pick a fight I suggest you walk away, Angel."
"I don't like the idea of you being at risk and me being helpless to do anything," Angel said.
"Well, it's about time you joined the club," Cordy said. "Now you know how I feel whenever you ignore my advice and go off on one of your crusades."
"I don't like thinking about losing you," Angel said.
'Then don't," Cordy said. "Don't always assume the worst has to happen."
"The worst has a tendency to happen a lot with us," Angel pointed out.
"You aren't going to give in on this are you?" Cordy realized.
"No, and neither will you," Angel said. "You do what you have to do and I'll do the same."
"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" Cordy asked him.
But Angel just took her hand and tried to smile at her.
"That smile's not making me feel any better," Cordy said smiling back at him in spite of herself. "Did you mean what you said about me being Connor's mother?"
"You are his mother," Angel said.
"Thank you for that," Cordy said. "Now stop being a dumbass and catch me up on everything that's happened with Connor and the others since I've been gone."
Angel was content to just sit in the stairwell with Cordy taking about their son. Ignoring reality was something they needed at that moment. They just wanted to enjoy finally being together after being separated.
--
Jacob stood in the wreckage of Anna's bedroom. He'd torn the room apart in anger. His daughter who he had always had control of was currently out of his grasp. She managed to find allies and use magic to hide from him. Now he held in his hands the book of magic that Anna had hidden beneath her mattress. Jacob leaved through it as he tried to figure what Anna had been up to.