Chapter 4 – 'Better Left Alone.'
`````````````````````````````
The sleek, black Jaguar glided smoothly into town, never making more than a gentle purr. Cordelia had never wanted to come back here but she had been back long enough so that Conner felt safe when she left him, he finally trusted Gunn and the other kids were great company for him. She smiled as she peeled down the visor. Tucked into a clear plastic pocket was a small picture of Conner and Gunn playing football out in the sun. Gunn had tackled him and Conner had managed to escape his arms but not his hands as two hands clasped onto his legs and pulled him to Gunn's chest. Gunn had rolled them over so that Conner was giggling and struggling to extract himself from Gunns' grasp. Cordelia had caught the happy occasion on camera. It was one of their many trips to the park. Now trips to the park were like mobilising a small army. Baby bags had to be packed, toilet trips had to be organised and then there was the same on the trip back home. Cordelia loved every minute of it and new that she wouldn't have changed it for the world. That's why she was asking herself why she had made the trip, which now took 7 hours! What was the big deal about the Hellmouth that had now been sealed? The only demons around were the ones that had already escaped their own Hell dimension. Sunnydale wasn't a place she called home anymore. There was nothing here for her anymore but she still needed closer on that chapter of her life.
It had been 2 years since she had left California but still she recognised every site and every sound. She parked the car up in a sunlit street and walked around, trying to block out painful memories. The 'Bronze' came into view except it wasn't called the 'Bronze' anymore it was not 'Espionage'. It was a smart new club, proper bouncers on the door and not a Vampire in sight. There was a new Junior High School on the site of the old Sunnydale High. But the streets all looked the same, trees in full bloom, flowers displayed brightly in the gardens. She cautiously approached Buffys house. She could feel him before she saw him. The shiver still ran down her spine every time he was near her.
"Daddy, throw me the ball. Dad." The little boy whined.
Cordelia stood back in shock as she saw Angel playing ball in the middle of the day, under the sunshine. He was throwing a baseball to a little blonde haired boy. The little boy looked around 8 years old. A little girl sat under the shade of the tree that stood in the Summers garden. She was drawing on a pad that was nestled in the neatly cut lawn. Angel looked up and scanned the trees across the street where she was hidden. Cordelia ducked further into the shade. Angels was distracted from his search by a pair of hands hitting his legs.
"Dad, what are you looking at?"
Angel turned and patted the boy on the head, ruffling his hair. The little boy fought back fallibly. "Nothing Doyle." Angel looked over to the girl playing in the grass. "Cora, you wanna play?"
"No dad. I'm sure Doyle likes it better."
Cordelia pained at hearing some other child calling Angel 'Dad' when it really should be Conner as well. She was proud as well. Angel had finally achieved his Shansu. It mustn't have been long after he left her in LA. It decided, in Cordelia's mind, that Angel had found his destiny after all.
She watched as a petite blonde exited the Summers house. Buffy looked radiant in the sunshine. She knelt down beside Cora and whispered something in her ear causing her to giggle. Cordelia felt her heart break. Angel looked haunting back to the trees and tried to hone in on her but his Vampire senses left when he turned human. Cordelia, on the other hand, still and her demotic senses heard Buffy calling in the children for lunch. Cordelia's heart couldn't take the pain any more. She turned slowly and walked across the street, careful to make sure that Angel had gone inside. She however didn't see the disbelieving eyes that watched her from the window but Angel put the site down to a trick of the light and turned to the callings of Buffy to come to the table. Cordelia drove back towards LA, just a little further away from the life she could have had and closer to the life she now had. Not that she would give that one up for the world.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Just a scene setter for the next chapter…you'll see. I am being very mysterious about this story huh? Ha ha ;oP
`````````````````````````````
The sleek, black Jaguar glided smoothly into town, never making more than a gentle purr. Cordelia had never wanted to come back here but she had been back long enough so that Conner felt safe when she left him, he finally trusted Gunn and the other kids were great company for him. She smiled as she peeled down the visor. Tucked into a clear plastic pocket was a small picture of Conner and Gunn playing football out in the sun. Gunn had tackled him and Conner had managed to escape his arms but not his hands as two hands clasped onto his legs and pulled him to Gunn's chest. Gunn had rolled them over so that Conner was giggling and struggling to extract himself from Gunns' grasp. Cordelia had caught the happy occasion on camera. It was one of their many trips to the park. Now trips to the park were like mobilising a small army. Baby bags had to be packed, toilet trips had to be organised and then there was the same on the trip back home. Cordelia loved every minute of it and new that she wouldn't have changed it for the world. That's why she was asking herself why she had made the trip, which now took 7 hours! What was the big deal about the Hellmouth that had now been sealed? The only demons around were the ones that had already escaped their own Hell dimension. Sunnydale wasn't a place she called home anymore. There was nothing here for her anymore but she still needed closer on that chapter of her life.
It had been 2 years since she had left California but still she recognised every site and every sound. She parked the car up in a sunlit street and walked around, trying to block out painful memories. The 'Bronze' came into view except it wasn't called the 'Bronze' anymore it was not 'Espionage'. It was a smart new club, proper bouncers on the door and not a Vampire in sight. There was a new Junior High School on the site of the old Sunnydale High. But the streets all looked the same, trees in full bloom, flowers displayed brightly in the gardens. She cautiously approached Buffys house. She could feel him before she saw him. The shiver still ran down her spine every time he was near her.
"Daddy, throw me the ball. Dad." The little boy whined.
Cordelia stood back in shock as she saw Angel playing ball in the middle of the day, under the sunshine. He was throwing a baseball to a little blonde haired boy. The little boy looked around 8 years old. A little girl sat under the shade of the tree that stood in the Summers garden. She was drawing on a pad that was nestled in the neatly cut lawn. Angel looked up and scanned the trees across the street where she was hidden. Cordelia ducked further into the shade. Angels was distracted from his search by a pair of hands hitting his legs.
"Dad, what are you looking at?"
Angel turned and patted the boy on the head, ruffling his hair. The little boy fought back fallibly. "Nothing Doyle." Angel looked over to the girl playing in the grass. "Cora, you wanna play?"
"No dad. I'm sure Doyle likes it better."
Cordelia pained at hearing some other child calling Angel 'Dad' when it really should be Conner as well. She was proud as well. Angel had finally achieved his Shansu. It mustn't have been long after he left her in LA. It decided, in Cordelia's mind, that Angel had found his destiny after all.
She watched as a petite blonde exited the Summers house. Buffy looked radiant in the sunshine. She knelt down beside Cora and whispered something in her ear causing her to giggle. Cordelia felt her heart break. Angel looked haunting back to the trees and tried to hone in on her but his Vampire senses left when he turned human. Cordelia, on the other hand, still and her demotic senses heard Buffy calling in the children for lunch. Cordelia's heart couldn't take the pain any more. She turned slowly and walked across the street, careful to make sure that Angel had gone inside. She however didn't see the disbelieving eyes that watched her from the window but Angel put the site down to a trick of the light and turned to the callings of Buffy to come to the table. Cordelia drove back towards LA, just a little further away from the life she could have had and closer to the life she now had. Not that she would give that one up for the world.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Just a scene setter for the next chapter…you'll see. I am being very mysterious about this story huh? Ha ha ;oP