Disclaimer: All characters and things from ANGEL and BUFFY belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. If they aren't on the show they belong to me.
Summary: Takes place after "Waiting In The Wings". What if Angel and Cordelia hadn't been interrupted, and how would the outcomes of that one event change the lives of the Fang Gang forever? A/C pairing
CHAPTER 25
Cordelia balanced Liam in one arm as she moved gracefully around her living room, gathering up the trail of new toys Connor had left behind him. His two year old birthday had just passed, and Gunn and Wesley had been sure to make it a memorable one, buying Connor any new toy the toddler had asked for. The birthday had been hard on Cordelia, knowing it was the second one Angel had missed in regards to Connor. She hoped it would be the last one the vampire with a soul missed.
Connor was now in the kitchen, eating his lunch, and Cordelia took the time to clean up after him. Usually, she would ask him to do it and Connor would listen, but Cordelia felt bad nagging the toddler when she knew she was not giving him as much time as she would have liked to. Plus, he had been a good boy at the office that morning when she had gone in to do a little paperwork for Wesley. She knew she needed to get back into the swing of things with work, but being at the hotel for two hours with both of her son's was more than enough for Cordelia at that point.
"Mom!" Connor called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, sweetie?" Cordelia asked, tossing one of Connor's new trucks into a pile with a few others.
"I done!" Connor said.
Cordelia moved into the kitchen, placing Liam in his baby carrier that was on the kitchen table. Liam gurgled a little, not liking that he was now lacking Cordelia's body heat.
"One second." Connor told Liam. "Mommy need get me down."
Cordelia smiled at Connor as she picked him up out of his high chair, placing him on the floor, and then moving back to Liam and lifting the one-month old up.
"Mom? Go park later?" Connor asked.
"Maybe, honey." Cordelia looked outside, noticing it was a nice day out. A chill went down her spin as she glanced out her window, however. She felt like someone was watching her. She moved toward the window to get a better look, but her attention was drawn away from her window as Liam grabbed onto her necklace.
"What's up, baby?" Cordelia cooed at Liam.
Liam smiled, and it was apparent in that smile that he was Angel's son. The corners of his lips turned up in the same way Angel's had when he was really smiling.
"Do you wanna go to the park with your big brother? Huh?" Cordelia asked Liam in a baby voice.
"Yes!" Connor jumped up, excited.
Cordelia laughed. She owned it to Connor to do something special with him, and if he wanted to go to the park then she would take him. "Okay, let's just get Liam ready."
"'Kay, Mommy." Connor seemed excited as he took off to find his sneakers.
Cordelia smiled gently as she watched Connor take off to his room. She then smiled down at Liam, moving to get his diaper bag and jacket incase he got cold. She still, however, couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her and her boys, yet she was not sure if that necessary panicked her. What struck her even more oddly, was that she actually felt comfortable with that feeling. Maybe, deep down, that was because she was counting on Angel being the one watching her.
Cordelia wasn't half wrong. Someone was watching her, but it wasn't Angel. Although, the person stalking in the shadows around Cordelia's apartment did look like Angel. Angelus stood outside the window of Cordelia's apartment, careful to avoid direct sunlight, watching her with Connor and what appeared to be an infant boy in her arms. He assumed that meant that she and Groo had a son, not that Groo knew of it. Angelus remembered Buffy telling Angel that Groo had left Cordelia long ago.
Angelus had been in L.A. for about a week now, but his presence had not really been felt yet. He had certainly added to the carnage of Los Angeles, and maybe even increased it a little, but not enough that anyone would suspect a vicious mastermind like himself was in the city. He did not want to draw any suspicion until he decided what to do with Cordelia.
Angelus watched Connor make his way back into the living room, shoes in hand, holding them up so Cordelia could put them on, which she did once she put her infant son into his carrier. Connor looked a lot like Darla, Angelus realized, but he also had hints of his father in him, which made Angelus proud.
Angelus watched Cordelia interact with Connor. She was gentle with him, and Angelus was confident Angel had made the right decision in leaving Connor with Cordelia. He also decided right there he would make sure Cordelia kept taking good care of Connor until his son was old enough to be turned, then Angelus would dispose of Cordelia and her other son, if he kept the infant alive that long. He was still unsure of what he wanted to do with the child he thought had been father by the Groosalugg. He still had no clue that Liam was Angel's, and in turn, his own son.
Buffy made her way off of her plane. She knew she was a few days behind Angelus, but she had needed to tie up loose ends in Dublin before heading back to Los Angeles, especially since Doyle was no longer going to be able to help her.
Buffy made her way out of the airport, and directly over to a payphone. She knew she needed to make one quick phone call before she went after Angelus. She dialed the familiar number and it rang a few times, but then a familiar voice answered.
"Hello?" Giles said into the phone.
"Giles?" Buffy spoke into the phone. "It's me…"
"Buffy? Lord! Where are you?" Giles seemed concerned, and almost a little angry. "Where have you been?"
Buffy knew Giles would be upset with her, but she could tell by the tone in his voice he was much more upset then she had anticipated. "I…I've been in Ireland…"
"Ireland? Buffy do you have any idea how crazy we have all gone looking for you? How worried we have all been?" Giles asked.
"I know, and I am sorry." Buffy apologized into the phone. "But I'm in Los Angeles now, and I found Angel."
"You what?" Giles seemed somewhat shocked. "You found him?"
"Well…yeah. In Ireland…" Buffy hesitated before saying the rest. "He…well…"
"Buffy?" Giles could tell, even over the phone something wasn't right. "What are you not telling me."
Buffy knew she couldn't tell Giles that Angelus was back. He sounded too worried as it was. "Nothing. Just don't worry about me. I have to sort a few things out and then I will be back in Sunnydale, okay?"
"Very well." Giles replied. He knew he would not be able to talk Buffy into coming back earlier then she wanted to. "Please keep in touch this time?"
"I will try my best." Buffy said. "Bye Giles." Before Giles could respond, Buffy hung the phone up and looked out at the city of L.A. She took a deep breath and plane her next move. She was not sure where to start looking for Angelus, but she knew where she wasn't going to start, and that was at the Hyperion Hotel. She did not want anyone to know she was in L.A. or that Angelus was there. She wanted to try and handle it on her own first, after all, she had dealt with Angelus before, she was sure she could do it now.
Cordelia pushed Connor on the swings while Liam hang off her chest in his baby carrier. To anyone walking passed the park, Cordelia looked like your average mother, taking care of her sons while their father was off at work for the day; but Cordelia knew she was much more than that, her life was so much more complex than that.
"Higher!" Connor squealed from the swing.
"If I push you much higher you'll fly off." Cordelia exaggerated, although Connor was swinging high for someone his age. Clearly he had Angel's fearless demeanor.
"Fine." Connor seemed to mumble.
Cordelia smiled at Connor's enthusiasm, but her smile faded as well as her pushes of the swing. She felt like someone's eyes were on her. Someone was watching her and her boys. She glanced around but noticed she, Connor, and Liam were the only people in the park besides another mother with her daughter.
"Mom! Why you stop?" Connor seemed annoyed as he turned to face Cordelia.
Cordelia realized she had stopped pushing Connor's swing completely now. "Sorry, sweetie. How about you play in the sandbox now? Mommy's arms are getting tired."
"Okay." Connor complied, jumping off the swing and hurrying to the sandbox a few feet away.
Cordelia followed Connor as she ran a hand over Liam's head as he still hung off the front of her in his baby sling. She sat down on the bench next to the sandbox and watched Connor.
"You play?" Connor asked Cordelia.
"I'm gonna take a break with Liam, okay?" Cordelia asked.
Connor nodded and continued back to work in the sandbox.
Cordelia smiled down at Connor and then kissed Liam softly on the head. The infant squirmed a little when Cordelia's lips hit his head, but then he settled back against her chest, his little fists seeming to rub his eyes.
"Are you tired, baby?" Cordelia cooed at Liam.
Liam just leaned his head farther into Cordelia's chest, seeming to answer the question.
"Connor, we're going to go soon, okay? Liam is tired." Cordelia said.
"Okay." Connor nodded.
Cordelia was glad Liam was tired. She still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She again glanced around the park but spotted no one that could be watching her. After a few more minutes of feeling uneasy, she stood. "Connor, ready?"
Connor nodded reluctantly and stood, grabbing Cordelia's hand and walking toward her jeep with her. He did not seem happy about leaving the park, and anyone who was watching could see it. Angelus noticed it immediately from the shadow of the building he was in. He had been watching Cordelia with Connor and Liam for awhile now, and had tracked them to the park.
"She is good with you, my boy." Angelus addressed Connor, but was really speaking out loud to himself more than anything. "Cordelia cares about you. I'll let her raise you into a man, then I'll bring you into my world."
And with that, Angelus' plan was settled. He knew exactly what he was going to do with Cordelia, Connor, and that new baby that he assumed Groo had fathered. He would kill the infant, no doubt, but he would let Cordelia raise Connor into a man, then he would turn his son into a vampire. He, of course, was going to let Cordelia know immediately what his plan was. He would not try to instill false hopes into her. The next time he saw her, he would let her know Angelus was back and she was going to do what he told her to.
Gunn shook his head as he entered the Hyperion Hotel, dropping his sword to the floor and making his way over to the couch which he threw himself on. He was frustrated, and that was evident to anyone who saw him.
Wesley entered the lobby shortly after Gunn, also seemingly frustrated. He picked up the sword Gunn had dropped and put it back in the closet, slamming the door hard.
The sound of the door brought Fred and Lorne out of the kitchen where they had been cleaning up after breakfast.
"Well you two look peachy." Lorne said sarcastically.
"We got nowhere." Gunn replied.
"What do you mean?" Fred asked. She knew that there had been a slight increase in death tolls associated with vampires in the past week or so, and she knew that Wesley and Gunn had decided to find out why, reaching out to all of their contacts. They had gone to meet with one this morning, clearly to no avail.
"No one knows why there have been more deaths, and no one can explain who is responsible for anything." Wesley said. That was because no one knew Angelus was back in town and that the notorious vampire was the reason for the slight increase in deaths in Los Angeles.
"For once the damn demons want to keep their mouths shut about what's going on." Gunn was angry. "Usually they can't wait to brag about this kind of crap."
"Well, maybe there is a reason they are keeping the noise down." Lorne suggested. "Maybe there is some sort of threat on their lives if they speak up."
"Who has that much power?" Gunn asked, and then added. "Besides Wolfram and Hart."
"Maybe they are it, then." Fred said. "Maybe they are the ones…"
"No. We already looked into it. Besides, Wolfram and Hart would not be using vampires to do their dirty work, they are much too sophisticated for that." Wesley said.
"What I don't get is why Cordy hasn't had a vision about it." Gunn said.
"Well, Cordelia's visions have been a little less frequent since…well you know…" Fred said uncomfortably.
"Since Angel left." Wesley said what Fred was thinking.
"Yeah." Fred nodded.
"Still, she has had some." Gunn did not want the conversation to lead to an awkward moment. "So why not about this?"
"Maybe it's not a big deal to the Powers." Fred suggested.
"Well, it should be." Gunn said.
"Maybe there isn't a huge difference in the deaths like we think." Lorne said. "Maybe that's why the Powers haven't sent Cordelia a vision."
"What do you mean?" Gunn asked.
"Maybe we are just falling behind." Lorne explained. "Maybe deaths are occurring at the same rate, but we just can't save as many lives. I mean, we have been struggling in that department since Angelcakes walked out."
"Well, let's hope that's not the case." Wesley said.
"Just a thought…" Lorne defended himself.
"Anyway, when is Cordelia coming in?" Wesley changed the subject.
Fred looked up at the clock on the wall. "She should have been here fifteen minutes ago."
"Cut her some slack. She will be here. She is just busy with the boys." Gunn immediately defended Cordelia, although no one was really attacking her.
"Still…" Wesley sighed, fixing his glasses, and deciding he was going to invest in contacts. The glasses were constantly getting in his way. "She needs to get back on schedule and show up when she is supposed to. Maybe I will talk to her."
"Maybe you should just give her a little more time." Gunn stood from his spot at the couch. "She deserves it. She is new at this mother-of-two thing."
"I am well aware, Gunn." Wesley said. "But she is going to be a mother-of-two for the rest of her life, so she needs to get back into the habits of working and being prompt."
Gunn nodded, he understood that, but he still did not want to piss Cordelia off, and he had a feeling that if Wesley talked to her that was exactly what would happen. "I'll talk to her when she gets here." Gunn offered.
Wesley nodded. That was fine by him. He was not really looking forward to talking to Cordelia about that anyway. He didn't want her to get angry, and he wasn't angry with her for not being at work on time. He understood it all, he just wanted to help her get back into a normal swing of things and he felt that the only way to do that was to get her back on her normal schedule.
Cordelia rushed around her living room, trying her best to gather all of Liam's things and through them in his diaper bag as she balanced the infant in her other arm. Connor was on the floor, trying his best to get his shoes on like Cordelia had asked them to. She was late for work; she was supposed to have been at the hotel a half hour ago and she knew when she did show up Wesley would not be pleased.
But, in her favor, it was not entirely her fault that they were running late. Connor and Liam had both been monsters to wake up that morning, and Cordelia assumed that was because of the prior afternoon which they had spent in the park. Her son's were both tired.
"Connor, do you have your shoes on yet, sweetie?" Cordelia asked as she finished packing Liam's diaper bag.
"No." Connor said, clearly still tired and therefore, a little grumpy. "Can't get untied." Connor help up his right shoe to show Cordelia the huge knot in it. He had managed to get his left one undone and onto his foot though.
"Okay, come here." Cordelia motioned for Connor to come to her as she placed Liam down in his carrier on the coffee table. The child squirmed a little and then let out a soft cry.
"Not now, Liam." Cordelia begged the nearly two-month-old. She couldn't take him crying right now, she was already stressed out enough.
Liam seemed to know already that it was not a good idea to test his mother. He immediately simmered down.
"Here." Connor handed Cordelia his shoe, which she quickly untied and out on his foot for him.
"There you go." Cordelia went to stand.
"Mom? You tie?" Connor asked.
"Right, sorry sweetie. I am just rushing." She knelt back down and tied up Connor shoe. She then stood, offering him her hand and pulling him off the ground. "Okay, are we ready to go now?"
Connor nodded. He was ready to go over to the hotel and play with Uncle Gunn. "Yup."
"Okay." Cordelia moved toward Liam and lifted the infant gently. "Come on, Liam. Let's go see your aunt and uncles." She cooed at the baby. "They will be so excited to see you."
Liam responded with a gurgle before burying his head in Cordelia's chest.
Cordelia slipped Liam's diaper bag over her shoulder and moved toward the door, turning to Connor as she opened it. "Come on, Connor."
Cordelia then turned around and walked right into someone's broad chest. She was confused for a moment but back up enough, ready to apologize to whoever she had just walked into that was at her front door.
"Sorry, I didn't…" Cordelia started but stopped immediately when she saw who was at her front door. She was in shock, she couldn't move; she wasn't even sure if she could breath.
"What's wrong, Cordelia? You look like you've seen a ghost." Angelus smirked from his spot at the door.
A smile broke across Cordelia's face as tears welled in her eyes. "Angel." She couldn't believe it. Her vision had come true. He was back; her Angel had come home, or so she thought.