~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"Did you remember to pack Connor's booties? The blue ones with-."
"Yes." Cordelia answered through clenched teeth.
"What about extra onesies?"
"Of course."
"Did you pack--?"
"Angel I swear if you ask one more time if I packed extra diapers, or wipes, or the blue blanky with white trim I will scream."
Taking his eyes off the road for a second he raised a brow at her little outburst. "I was going to ask did you pack a bathing suite for yourself?"
"Oh," She frowned a bit. "Why didn't you say so?" Angel didn't know if he wanted to laugh at her cheeky grin or strangle her. For the last two weeks she'd been on edge, snapping at the simplest of comments. He wished that he knew what was bothering her, but each time he asked she'd pull that blank expression and say she didn't know what he was talking about. He'd gone as far as to suggest they cancel the weekend, thinking that maybe he'd pushed her into it, and she was regretting her decision. But she responded that if he did she'd spike his blood supply with holy water and walked out of the room.
Reading the list of classes and activities, Cordelia told herself to calm down. She was behaving like some kind of shrew. This weekend was a good thing. Not only for Angel, but for Connor too. But she couldn't help feeling that she was setting herself up for a fall. A huge painful fall that would leave her scarred and devastated. It wasn't until Angel pointed out that he just expected her to come with him that she realized just how intertwined into their lives she had become. How important Angel and Connor had become to her.
He and Connor had somehow, overnight, became the most important things in her life. She just had been too dense to notice it happening. It wasn't the shift that had her not acting like herself, but the not knowing exactly what she was to them that made her acting like PMS girl. Oh she knew that Angel thought of her as a close friend. But somehow that wasn't quiet the same.
"Before we get there I think I should tell you that I registered us as Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell. I didn't want to spend the weekend trying to explain to everyone about our little family." He waited nervously as Cordelia let the information sink in.
"Well I guess that makes sense, seeing that the truth would have us locked away in tight little white jackets." She was going to be his wife...for four days. Geez could things get anymore complicated.
"You're not mad?" He had no idea how she'd react to the news.
"No of course not." It didn't make her mad, just a little dizzy, perhaps a tad nervous, oh and don't forget giddy. She had never really been giddy before in her life, seeing that it wasn't one of the most appealing emotions on could have. Fred was more the giddy kind, it was cute on her.
Angel chanced another glace from the road to Cordelia to gauge her expression. He really wanted this weekend to be perfect. Just four days where he wasn't always on guard waiting for the next shoe to drop. Where he could spend time with Connor and Cordelia without some super natural incident causing havoc in their lives.
Four days where he wasn't analyzing his changing emotions for Cordelia. He could just spend time with her without having to nitpick every little word she said, or studying her actions. Trying to see if her feelings matched his. He could do that. Right?
~~~*~~~
It hadn't been a very long drive, thirty minutes at most, but it was far enough where it felt as though there was distance between them and their everyday lives. Check-in had been scheduled for around three earlier that afternoon. But with a quick excuse they had let them know they'd be showing up a little after sunset.
They stood in the reception area, waiting to be seen. Cordelia had Connor in her arms, smiling down at his ever-increasing babble. While Angel looked around for one of the staff to direct them in the right direction.
"You must be the O'Connell's." A young dark woman warmly greeted them. "We've been expecting you." She hurried behind the large desk and grabbed two sets of keys.
"Sorry we're a little late." Angel offered the apology as he gathered up Cordelia's heavy suitcase, and Conner's bag and the bright red cooler that held his food supply. He could come back for his bag, once they got to their room.
"Oh don't worry about your bags. John will get them. My name is Tammy." Angel dropped the bags with a grateful sigh and shook Tammy's offered hand. He kept the cooler, not trusting another person with it.
"I'm Angel, and this is my...wife Cordy and my son Conner." It felt so normal, almost right introducing his best friend this way. No explanations, just a simple we are family.
"It's great to meet you. I'm sure your excited to see your room, so why don't you follow me." Tammy led the way past the reception desk and through a large sitting area. "Everyone is getting ready for dinner. The dinning area is just off to the right." Tammy pointed in the direction to a room that was being set for the meal. "You can get acquainted with the other families in your group. Breakfast is at seven, lunch at noon, there's a snack time around three, and then dinner at seven thirty."
"Breakfast at seven?" Cordelia whispered into Angel's ear, causing a shiver to go up his spine. "We're just getting to bed at seven."
Angel couldn't help but chuckle. It was true that over the last three years everyone's sleeping habits had slowly shifted to where they closely matched his. He knew personally that Connor was up at six, he'd spent many blurry eyed mornings with his son. But for Cordelia, she was still sound asleep at that time.
"I'm sure you'll manage." He laughed again as she stuck her tongue out at him. This was more like the Cordelia he had come to know.
"Every room has a small refrigerator, for the babies bottles and juices. We just recently installed microwaves into the rooms as well. Our guests used to share one in the rec room." Cordelia gave Angel an amused look as she envisioned him waiting in line to use the microwave, him with his blood and the others with their baby bottles.
Tammy turned right down a long hall. "You may find that your room doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight. When we installed the new gym we didn't realize that it would block out the sun. Most people don't mind, but if you want I can find you another room."
"No that's fine. We're night owls, so I don't think that we'll notice at all." Angel gave Tammy a reassuring smile, as Cordelia snorted.
"More like night bats." Angel gave her a nudge.
"Here's your room." Tammy stopped in front of a door, inserting a key. "If you need anything just dial 0 and you'll get the reception desk." Handing Angel and Cordelia a set of keys Tammy bid them farewell.
"Wow." Cordelia stood outside in the hallway and stared at the massive suite. "Wow."
Placing a hand on the small of her back, Angel guided her and Connor in the room. He couldn't put it any better, wow. The room was any parent's heaven. Though modest in size, the furnishings and baby furniture more than made up for it. To their left was a sitting area, a large couch that looked like an overstuffed beige marshmallow. A coffee table and entertainment center sat directly across from the couch. A baby swing sat near the couch, ready to lull Connor into a blissful sleep. Along the wall ran a small kitchenette. The small refrigerator under a counter that held the microwave, a coffeepot and small sink.
Further into the room on the left was a huge King size bed, flanked by two matching nightstands. A large dresser sat next to another set of doors that Cordelia would bet a years salary was a man eating walk in closet. On the right down two steps that were closed off by a childgate was where the small nursery was set up. The wood on the crib, changing table and little bureau matched the wood on the headboard of the king size bed. The crib set was done in soft creme and beiges.
"Look Angel, not a dark color anywhere. How will you manage?" Letting the diaper bag slip from her shoulder onto the ground, her eyes settled on another set of doors.
Angel's mind hadn't moved from the King-size bed. One bed, him and Cordy. If he played his cards right he might have a couple more nights with her and Connor at his side. Watching Cordelia as she walked hesitantly to the closed door, he waited as she opened it slowly.
"Holy...oh wow." The bathroom was huge. There was a luxurious and sinfully huge bathtub perched in the corner. It had to be large enough to fit at least four grown adults. Or just one overly pampered Cordelia Chase. There was a separate shower stall, with four separate sprayers and a seat. Cordelia's mind was reeling, she didn't know what she wanted to try first. Maybe the shower then a long bubble bath followed by a shower.
"You know dinner is in like five minutes." Angel laughed at the dreamy expression on her face.
"Just a little bath?" She couldn't help whining. Angel shook his head and took Connor from her.
"Nope, because I know if you get in here I won't see you until Sunday. Come on Connor needs to get changed." Taking her by the hand he nearly had to drag her out of the bathroom.
~~~*~~~
Tammy headed back to the main office to let the other's know that Angelus and Cordelia Chase had arrived. It was weird being in the presence of the legendary Angelus. She'd been raised on the stories of the horror he had caused, and of the vengeance her clan had taken on him. If she hadn't already known that he was a vampire she would never had known. He seemed so normal.
But what his near future held wasn't for her to decide. That was Stacia's choice.
Walking into the office she saw her two cousins at it again. For the last month they had been at one another's throats over the path Stacia had announced the clan would take. For a young leader she sure had her hands full.
"Is the bastard all settled in?" John snapped.
"Yes, and their bags are in the lobby." Tammy could see that he was ready to argue, but she gave her younger cousin a steely glare and he bolted out of his seat and stormed out the door.
"He doesn't understand what must be done." Her other cousin answered.
"Do any of us really understand?" Tammy replied. "But it's not for us to understand, just accept."
~~~*~~~
"Did you remember to pack Connor's booties? The blue ones with-."
"Yes." Cordelia answered through clenched teeth.
"What about extra onesies?"
"Of course."
"Did you pack--?"
"Angel I swear if you ask one more time if I packed extra diapers, or wipes, or the blue blanky with white trim I will scream."
Taking his eyes off the road for a second he raised a brow at her little outburst. "I was going to ask did you pack a bathing suite for yourself?"
"Oh," She frowned a bit. "Why didn't you say so?" Angel didn't know if he wanted to laugh at her cheeky grin or strangle her. For the last two weeks she'd been on edge, snapping at the simplest of comments. He wished that he knew what was bothering her, but each time he asked she'd pull that blank expression and say she didn't know what he was talking about. He'd gone as far as to suggest they cancel the weekend, thinking that maybe he'd pushed her into it, and she was regretting her decision. But she responded that if he did she'd spike his blood supply with holy water and walked out of the room.
Reading the list of classes and activities, Cordelia told herself to calm down. She was behaving like some kind of shrew. This weekend was a good thing. Not only for Angel, but for Connor too. But she couldn't help feeling that she was setting herself up for a fall. A huge painful fall that would leave her scarred and devastated. It wasn't until Angel pointed out that he just expected her to come with him that she realized just how intertwined into their lives she had become. How important Angel and Connor had become to her.
He and Connor had somehow, overnight, became the most important things in her life. She just had been too dense to notice it happening. It wasn't the shift that had her not acting like herself, but the not knowing exactly what she was to them that made her acting like PMS girl. Oh she knew that Angel thought of her as a close friend. But somehow that wasn't quiet the same.
"Before we get there I think I should tell you that I registered us as Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell. I didn't want to spend the weekend trying to explain to everyone about our little family." He waited nervously as Cordelia let the information sink in.
"Well I guess that makes sense, seeing that the truth would have us locked away in tight little white jackets." She was going to be his wife...for four days. Geez could things get anymore complicated.
"You're not mad?" He had no idea how she'd react to the news.
"No of course not." It didn't make her mad, just a little dizzy, perhaps a tad nervous, oh and don't forget giddy. She had never really been giddy before in her life, seeing that it wasn't one of the most appealing emotions on could have. Fred was more the giddy kind, it was cute on her.
Angel chanced another glace from the road to Cordelia to gauge her expression. He really wanted this weekend to be perfect. Just four days where he wasn't always on guard waiting for the next shoe to drop. Where he could spend time with Connor and Cordelia without some super natural incident causing havoc in their lives.
Four days where he wasn't analyzing his changing emotions for Cordelia. He could just spend time with her without having to nitpick every little word she said, or studying her actions. Trying to see if her feelings matched his. He could do that. Right?
~~~*~~~
It hadn't been a very long drive, thirty minutes at most, but it was far enough where it felt as though there was distance between them and their everyday lives. Check-in had been scheduled for around three earlier that afternoon. But with a quick excuse they had let them know they'd be showing up a little after sunset.
They stood in the reception area, waiting to be seen. Cordelia had Connor in her arms, smiling down at his ever-increasing babble. While Angel looked around for one of the staff to direct them in the right direction.
"You must be the O'Connell's." A young dark woman warmly greeted them. "We've been expecting you." She hurried behind the large desk and grabbed two sets of keys.
"Sorry we're a little late." Angel offered the apology as he gathered up Cordelia's heavy suitcase, and Conner's bag and the bright red cooler that held his food supply. He could come back for his bag, once they got to their room.
"Oh don't worry about your bags. John will get them. My name is Tammy." Angel dropped the bags with a grateful sigh and shook Tammy's offered hand. He kept the cooler, not trusting another person with it.
"I'm Angel, and this is my...wife Cordy and my son Conner." It felt so normal, almost right introducing his best friend this way. No explanations, just a simple we are family.
"It's great to meet you. I'm sure your excited to see your room, so why don't you follow me." Tammy led the way past the reception desk and through a large sitting area. "Everyone is getting ready for dinner. The dinning area is just off to the right." Tammy pointed in the direction to a room that was being set for the meal. "You can get acquainted with the other families in your group. Breakfast is at seven, lunch at noon, there's a snack time around three, and then dinner at seven thirty."
"Breakfast at seven?" Cordelia whispered into Angel's ear, causing a shiver to go up his spine. "We're just getting to bed at seven."
Angel couldn't help but chuckle. It was true that over the last three years everyone's sleeping habits had slowly shifted to where they closely matched his. He knew personally that Connor was up at six, he'd spent many blurry eyed mornings with his son. But for Cordelia, she was still sound asleep at that time.
"I'm sure you'll manage." He laughed again as she stuck her tongue out at him. This was more like the Cordelia he had come to know.
"Every room has a small refrigerator, for the babies bottles and juices. We just recently installed microwaves into the rooms as well. Our guests used to share one in the rec room." Cordelia gave Angel an amused look as she envisioned him waiting in line to use the microwave, him with his blood and the others with their baby bottles.
Tammy turned right down a long hall. "You may find that your room doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight. When we installed the new gym we didn't realize that it would block out the sun. Most people don't mind, but if you want I can find you another room."
"No that's fine. We're night owls, so I don't think that we'll notice at all." Angel gave Tammy a reassuring smile, as Cordelia snorted.
"More like night bats." Angel gave her a nudge.
"Here's your room." Tammy stopped in front of a door, inserting a key. "If you need anything just dial 0 and you'll get the reception desk." Handing Angel and Cordelia a set of keys Tammy bid them farewell.
"Wow." Cordelia stood outside in the hallway and stared at the massive suite. "Wow."
Placing a hand on the small of her back, Angel guided her and Connor in the room. He couldn't put it any better, wow. The room was any parent's heaven. Though modest in size, the furnishings and baby furniture more than made up for it. To their left was a sitting area, a large couch that looked like an overstuffed beige marshmallow. A coffee table and entertainment center sat directly across from the couch. A baby swing sat near the couch, ready to lull Connor into a blissful sleep. Along the wall ran a small kitchenette. The small refrigerator under a counter that held the microwave, a coffeepot and small sink.
Further into the room on the left was a huge King size bed, flanked by two matching nightstands. A large dresser sat next to another set of doors that Cordelia would bet a years salary was a man eating walk in closet. On the right down two steps that were closed off by a childgate was where the small nursery was set up. The wood on the crib, changing table and little bureau matched the wood on the headboard of the king size bed. The crib set was done in soft creme and beiges.
"Look Angel, not a dark color anywhere. How will you manage?" Letting the diaper bag slip from her shoulder onto the ground, her eyes settled on another set of doors.
Angel's mind hadn't moved from the King-size bed. One bed, him and Cordy. If he played his cards right he might have a couple more nights with her and Connor at his side. Watching Cordelia as she walked hesitantly to the closed door, he waited as she opened it slowly.
"Holy...oh wow." The bathroom was huge. There was a luxurious and sinfully huge bathtub perched in the corner. It had to be large enough to fit at least four grown adults. Or just one overly pampered Cordelia Chase. There was a separate shower stall, with four separate sprayers and a seat. Cordelia's mind was reeling, she didn't know what she wanted to try first. Maybe the shower then a long bubble bath followed by a shower.
"You know dinner is in like five minutes." Angel laughed at the dreamy expression on her face.
"Just a little bath?" She couldn't help whining. Angel shook his head and took Connor from her.
"Nope, because I know if you get in here I won't see you until Sunday. Come on Connor needs to get changed." Taking her by the hand he nearly had to drag her out of the bathroom.
~~~*~~~
Tammy headed back to the main office to let the other's know that Angelus and Cordelia Chase had arrived. It was weird being in the presence of the legendary Angelus. She'd been raised on the stories of the horror he had caused, and of the vengeance her clan had taken on him. If she hadn't already known that he was a vampire she would never had known. He seemed so normal.
But what his near future held wasn't for her to decide. That was Stacia's choice.
Walking into the office she saw her two cousins at it again. For the last month they had been at one another's throats over the path Stacia had announced the clan would take. For a young leader she sure had her hands full.
"Is the bastard all settled in?" John snapped.
"Yes, and their bags are in the lobby." Tammy could see that he was ready to argue, but she gave her younger cousin a steely glare and he bolted out of his seat and stormed out the door.
"He doesn't understand what must be done." Her other cousin answered.
"Do any of us really understand?" Tammy replied. "But it's not for us to understand, just accept."
~~~*~~~