"I miss Cordelia." Fred slumped down in the nearest chair. It sure was
lonely being the only woman in the house. She'd never be able to understand
how Cordelia took being the only woman on the team for 2 years. But then
again, she WAS Cordelia.
"It is awfully quiet around here." Wesley agreed, not even looking up from the ancient scroll he was trying halfheartedly to translate. A yell from upstairs pierced the air, and Wesley looked up. "Well, it was, anyway." He turned back to his scroll. "Angel, are you sure Journey's okay? He keeps yelling."
"He's fine. He's just having.. Cordy withdrawals." Angel said from his position at Cordy's desk, where he was reading a paper.
Fred turned her attention to the ceiling above and stood up. "Are you sure it's not Milo and Charlie terrorizing him? I mean, they don't have to play with him—"
"NO!" Angel shouted. Gunn, Wesley, and Fred looked at him. "No, I mean, he's fine. He loves to play with the twins."
Fred shrugged. "Okay. Whatever you say." She fell back into the cushions of the couch. After a few moments of thoughtful silence, she spoke again. "You know what?"
"What?" Gunn asked, not tearing his eyes from the television before him.
"Wouldn't it be great if one day Charlie and Journey got married?"
Angel shook his head. "No… that'll never happen."
"Yeah, Fred. That'd just be too weird." Gunn added. "But you know what would be cool? If Milo and Charlie got married someday."
It took Gunn a minute or two before he realized that they were all staring at him. "What?"
"Gunn!" Wesley admonished. "That would best be described as 'incest'!"
"Oh. Right. Sorry." Gunn apologized, noticing his mistake. "Man.. was that a Cordy moment or what? Hope I don't get her visions too."
Angel looked up at that last comment. "Wesley.. what if she has a vision? Then what?"
"Then she'll call us." Wesley stated calmly.
"But what—"
"Angel, she's fine. She'll be fine. She'll call us if she's not." He was beginning to get irritated. After all, he'd only answered Angel's Cordelia questions thirty thousand times today.
"Dude, is that all we're going to spend this week doing? Going on about Cordelia? Don't we have anything else to do?" Gunn complained, turning the television off. "And how, out of 97 channels, is NOTHING on?"
"Angel, why don't you check the calendar on Cordelia's desk. There's got to be something to look forward to." Wesley told him.
Sighing audibly, Angel pushed his newspaper aside to look at the big calendar laying on Cordy's desk. Right away he noticed that the day of her return was circled, and that every day preceding the return date, she'd written, 'Miss Cordelia.' He smiled softly and noticed something else. "Hey."
"Hey what?" Gunn asked, standing up and walking over to him.
"Faith gets paroled tomorrow."
"Really?!" Fred could hardly contain her excitement. True, she'd only met the girl once, but she'd seemed nice enough. Besides, this meant that she'd have some other girl to talk to until Cordy returned. "Where's she gonna stay?"
"I don't know. Here, I guess." Angel replied vaguely. "I guess we should go pick her up. I can't go.. you know, on account of daylight and all. Why don't you—"
"I'll go!" Gunn interjected. "Anything to get out of Snoresville."
"And I'll go too." Fred volunteered.
"Good. Then it's settled." Angel turned back to his paper.
"Wes, do you want to come along?" Fred asked her husband.
"No, Fred, I think I'll stay here. I've had enough of Faith in one lifetime. Besides, I'm still trying to translate this scroll."
"How's that going anyway, Wesley?" Angel asked, folding up his paper and walking over to him.
"Well, it's a slow process, because it almost contradicts everything the first scroll said."
"First scroll?" Gunn asked.
"Yes.. this scroll is the one I was telling you about. The one that spoke about a vampire with a soul.. a vampire with a soul that had a human child."
"Did it say anything more about my 'shanshu'?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"It's hard to understand and again, I may have my translations wrong, but I believe it's saying that your 'shanshu' is coming a lot sooner than any of us thought."
"How soon?"
"Four, five.. six years maybe? It's not too clear on exactly when."
"I thought Angel had to survive a few plagues and apocalypses?" Fred asked.
"The first scroll did say that. But this scroll says that since the birth of the human child to a nonliving demon happened, it makes up for Angel's past grievances significantly."
"Say what?" Gunn asked. "You lost me, English."
"Due to Journey's birth, his very existence in this world, Angel basically has a clean slate with the world. The birth of Journey has shortened Angel's path of redemption."
"How, Wes?" Fred got up and walked over to him. She looked over his shoulder and marveled how he understood the gibberish written on the scroll.
"Well, from what I gather, though this scroll is pretty vague, Journey's birth was for a definite reason and a definite purpose. It's like he's going to take over for Angel or something. The scroll specifically states that when Journey becomes a certain age where he can act and be responsible for his own actions and is able to protect himself and others, Angel will become human. Journey's existence is to make sure that there's always someone here to help the Powers carry out earthly matters." Wesley removed his glasses and closed his eyes. He opened them once more, blinked a few times, and then replaced his glasses. "Before Journey, the Powers were unsure whether or not they'd have anyone to help them like Angel has helped them after Angel's gone. With Journey being here, he can carry on. Also, the scroll says that one day Journey will be full demon. Now, I don't know if that means being a vampire or…"
It was about at that point when Angel stopped listening. Because even though Wesley went on to say that the Powers had anticipated Journey's arrival and Journey was suppose to be a major player in the fate of the world all along, Angel heard something else. Angel heard that his son was going to have to spend his life fighting to pay off the debt his father couldn't pay off in his lifetime. And that wasn't what he wanted for Journey, not at all. He wanted Journey to be able to be normal, something he hadn't been for over two hundred years. He wanted Journey to be able to step out in the sunshine without bursting into flames. He also wanted Journey to be able to love and be loved in return. This new prophecy just wouldn't do.
No one noticed when Angel slipped out of the room and upstairs. He was headed to his room, but as he walked by Journey's room, he stopped and went inside. He found Journey, somehow strapped to a chair with belts and being forced to drink imaginary tea with Charlie, while listening to Milo drone on about Einstein. Angel listened to Milo for a few minutes before asking a question himself.
"Does E really equal MC squared, Milo?"
Milo looked up calmly. "No. Everyone thought Einstein was a genius, but actually, he was an idiot."
"Oh-kay." Angel shook his head. "Why don't you and Charlie go on downstairs? I think you guys are going to go home soon."
"Good." Milo responded, gathering up his books and helping his sister gather her things as well. "The intelligence level of this room is severely lacking."
And with that, Milo and Charlie headed downstairs.
"So, how's it going, J?"
"Miserable." Journey let out a deep exasperated sigh and struggled against his restraints.
"That bad, huh?" Angel asked, kneeling before his son and beginning to free Journey. "Are you hungry?"
"No. I'm so full of 'pretend tea' I could puke." Journey slid out of the chair and practically flew over to his bed, where he lay back against the cool comforter.
"What are you doing here? Don't I have 6000 more hours of this crap?"
Angel stood up. "Don't kick a gifthorse in the mouth, all right?"
"I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering."
"Had a change of heart, that's all." Angel sat down next to his sprawled out son.
"You don't have a heart."
"Yes, I do."
"No… you don't."
Angel sighed. "Journey, let's establish some ground rules here." Angel pointed to himself. "I am the parent. YOU," he went on, pointing at Journey. "Are the child."
"So?"
"So.. you've got to start learning to do as I say. One day, when you're the daddy, YOU can make the rules."
Journey rolled his eyes back. "Okay. When's Cordy getting back?"
"In a week."
"A WHOLE week?!"
"A whole week." Angel repeated.
"We're going to die before she gets back, aren't we?"
Angel laid down himself, next to Journey on the bed. "Most likely, son."
After a few minutes of silence, Angel spoke softly. "She loves you, you know."
"Who, Cordelia?"
"Yeah."
"I know."
"Just like I love you."
Journey immediately sat up. "I know that, Dad. And I love you too. But is something wrong?"
"No. Why?"
"Well.. why the mushy act?"
Angel sighed. "It's just that.. well, one day things will change. And you'll do… things."
"Things?"
"Yeah. Things." Angel went on, not as vaguely as before. "And I just want you to know that whatever you do, whatever you become, I'll always love you. No matter how angry you make me." He paused. "And Cordy'll love you always too."
Journey flopped back against the bed once more. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Yes."
"Okay.. well, then. I thank you for that little announcement."
"You're welcome. Now, what the heck are we going to do for a whole week?"
"I vote for being mopey."
"No. Cordy will beat us when she gets back if we do that. Besides, I've moped enough for three lifetimes. Pick something else."
"Well.." Journey looked around the room and his eyes fell on the new book Cordy had recently given him. "We could read 'The Golden Compass'.. you know, that book Cordy got me. I can read a chapter and then you can read a chapter. And since Cordy bought the book, it'll be like she's here with us."
Angel nodded. "All right. Sounds like a plan."
Journey got up and retrieved the book. Then, he brought it back to Angel, who was now sitting up, leaning back against the pillows lining the headboard. Journey climbed up beside him, and Angel wrapped one arm around him. Journey opened the pages with care and began to read. "'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman… "
And that's how they spent their week, together, enthralled in the fantasyland pages of a book.
TBC
Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback. You guys are the greatest! Again, sorry for lack of updates… it's really hectic right now for me, but I'm trying to get the chapters out as soon as I possibly can, so I thank you for your patience. Thanks for everything! :)
"It is awfully quiet around here." Wesley agreed, not even looking up from the ancient scroll he was trying halfheartedly to translate. A yell from upstairs pierced the air, and Wesley looked up. "Well, it was, anyway." He turned back to his scroll. "Angel, are you sure Journey's okay? He keeps yelling."
"He's fine. He's just having.. Cordy withdrawals." Angel said from his position at Cordy's desk, where he was reading a paper.
Fred turned her attention to the ceiling above and stood up. "Are you sure it's not Milo and Charlie terrorizing him? I mean, they don't have to play with him—"
"NO!" Angel shouted. Gunn, Wesley, and Fred looked at him. "No, I mean, he's fine. He loves to play with the twins."
Fred shrugged. "Okay. Whatever you say." She fell back into the cushions of the couch. After a few moments of thoughtful silence, she spoke again. "You know what?"
"What?" Gunn asked, not tearing his eyes from the television before him.
"Wouldn't it be great if one day Charlie and Journey got married?"
Angel shook his head. "No… that'll never happen."
"Yeah, Fred. That'd just be too weird." Gunn added. "But you know what would be cool? If Milo and Charlie got married someday."
It took Gunn a minute or two before he realized that they were all staring at him. "What?"
"Gunn!" Wesley admonished. "That would best be described as 'incest'!"
"Oh. Right. Sorry." Gunn apologized, noticing his mistake. "Man.. was that a Cordy moment or what? Hope I don't get her visions too."
Angel looked up at that last comment. "Wesley.. what if she has a vision? Then what?"
"Then she'll call us." Wesley stated calmly.
"But what—"
"Angel, she's fine. She'll be fine. She'll call us if she's not." He was beginning to get irritated. After all, he'd only answered Angel's Cordelia questions thirty thousand times today.
"Dude, is that all we're going to spend this week doing? Going on about Cordelia? Don't we have anything else to do?" Gunn complained, turning the television off. "And how, out of 97 channels, is NOTHING on?"
"Angel, why don't you check the calendar on Cordelia's desk. There's got to be something to look forward to." Wesley told him.
Sighing audibly, Angel pushed his newspaper aside to look at the big calendar laying on Cordy's desk. Right away he noticed that the day of her return was circled, and that every day preceding the return date, she'd written, 'Miss Cordelia.' He smiled softly and noticed something else. "Hey."
"Hey what?" Gunn asked, standing up and walking over to him.
"Faith gets paroled tomorrow."
"Really?!" Fred could hardly contain her excitement. True, she'd only met the girl once, but she'd seemed nice enough. Besides, this meant that she'd have some other girl to talk to until Cordy returned. "Where's she gonna stay?"
"I don't know. Here, I guess." Angel replied vaguely. "I guess we should go pick her up. I can't go.. you know, on account of daylight and all. Why don't you—"
"I'll go!" Gunn interjected. "Anything to get out of Snoresville."
"And I'll go too." Fred volunteered.
"Good. Then it's settled." Angel turned back to his paper.
"Wes, do you want to come along?" Fred asked her husband.
"No, Fred, I think I'll stay here. I've had enough of Faith in one lifetime. Besides, I'm still trying to translate this scroll."
"How's that going anyway, Wesley?" Angel asked, folding up his paper and walking over to him.
"Well, it's a slow process, because it almost contradicts everything the first scroll said."
"First scroll?" Gunn asked.
"Yes.. this scroll is the one I was telling you about. The one that spoke about a vampire with a soul.. a vampire with a soul that had a human child."
"Did it say anything more about my 'shanshu'?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"It's hard to understand and again, I may have my translations wrong, but I believe it's saying that your 'shanshu' is coming a lot sooner than any of us thought."
"How soon?"
"Four, five.. six years maybe? It's not too clear on exactly when."
"I thought Angel had to survive a few plagues and apocalypses?" Fred asked.
"The first scroll did say that. But this scroll says that since the birth of the human child to a nonliving demon happened, it makes up for Angel's past grievances significantly."
"Say what?" Gunn asked. "You lost me, English."
"Due to Journey's birth, his very existence in this world, Angel basically has a clean slate with the world. The birth of Journey has shortened Angel's path of redemption."
"How, Wes?" Fred got up and walked over to him. She looked over his shoulder and marveled how he understood the gibberish written on the scroll.
"Well, from what I gather, though this scroll is pretty vague, Journey's birth was for a definite reason and a definite purpose. It's like he's going to take over for Angel or something. The scroll specifically states that when Journey becomes a certain age where he can act and be responsible for his own actions and is able to protect himself and others, Angel will become human. Journey's existence is to make sure that there's always someone here to help the Powers carry out earthly matters." Wesley removed his glasses and closed his eyes. He opened them once more, blinked a few times, and then replaced his glasses. "Before Journey, the Powers were unsure whether or not they'd have anyone to help them like Angel has helped them after Angel's gone. With Journey being here, he can carry on. Also, the scroll says that one day Journey will be full demon. Now, I don't know if that means being a vampire or…"
It was about at that point when Angel stopped listening. Because even though Wesley went on to say that the Powers had anticipated Journey's arrival and Journey was suppose to be a major player in the fate of the world all along, Angel heard something else. Angel heard that his son was going to have to spend his life fighting to pay off the debt his father couldn't pay off in his lifetime. And that wasn't what he wanted for Journey, not at all. He wanted Journey to be able to be normal, something he hadn't been for over two hundred years. He wanted Journey to be able to step out in the sunshine without bursting into flames. He also wanted Journey to be able to love and be loved in return. This new prophecy just wouldn't do.
No one noticed when Angel slipped out of the room and upstairs. He was headed to his room, but as he walked by Journey's room, he stopped and went inside. He found Journey, somehow strapped to a chair with belts and being forced to drink imaginary tea with Charlie, while listening to Milo drone on about Einstein. Angel listened to Milo for a few minutes before asking a question himself.
"Does E really equal MC squared, Milo?"
Milo looked up calmly. "No. Everyone thought Einstein was a genius, but actually, he was an idiot."
"Oh-kay." Angel shook his head. "Why don't you and Charlie go on downstairs? I think you guys are going to go home soon."
"Good." Milo responded, gathering up his books and helping his sister gather her things as well. "The intelligence level of this room is severely lacking."
And with that, Milo and Charlie headed downstairs.
"So, how's it going, J?"
"Miserable." Journey let out a deep exasperated sigh and struggled against his restraints.
"That bad, huh?" Angel asked, kneeling before his son and beginning to free Journey. "Are you hungry?"
"No. I'm so full of 'pretend tea' I could puke." Journey slid out of the chair and practically flew over to his bed, where he lay back against the cool comforter.
"What are you doing here? Don't I have 6000 more hours of this crap?"
Angel stood up. "Don't kick a gifthorse in the mouth, all right?"
"I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering."
"Had a change of heart, that's all." Angel sat down next to his sprawled out son.
"You don't have a heart."
"Yes, I do."
"No… you don't."
Angel sighed. "Journey, let's establish some ground rules here." Angel pointed to himself. "I am the parent. YOU," he went on, pointing at Journey. "Are the child."
"So?"
"So.. you've got to start learning to do as I say. One day, when you're the daddy, YOU can make the rules."
Journey rolled his eyes back. "Okay. When's Cordy getting back?"
"In a week."
"A WHOLE week?!"
"A whole week." Angel repeated.
"We're going to die before she gets back, aren't we?"
Angel laid down himself, next to Journey on the bed. "Most likely, son."
After a few minutes of silence, Angel spoke softly. "She loves you, you know."
"Who, Cordelia?"
"Yeah."
"I know."
"Just like I love you."
Journey immediately sat up. "I know that, Dad. And I love you too. But is something wrong?"
"No. Why?"
"Well.. why the mushy act?"
Angel sighed. "It's just that.. well, one day things will change. And you'll do… things."
"Things?"
"Yeah. Things." Angel went on, not as vaguely as before. "And I just want you to know that whatever you do, whatever you become, I'll always love you. No matter how angry you make me." He paused. "And Cordy'll love you always too."
Journey flopped back against the bed once more. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Yes."
"Okay.. well, then. I thank you for that little announcement."
"You're welcome. Now, what the heck are we going to do for a whole week?"
"I vote for being mopey."
"No. Cordy will beat us when she gets back if we do that. Besides, I've moped enough for three lifetimes. Pick something else."
"Well.." Journey looked around the room and his eyes fell on the new book Cordy had recently given him. "We could read 'The Golden Compass'.. you know, that book Cordy got me. I can read a chapter and then you can read a chapter. And since Cordy bought the book, it'll be like she's here with us."
Angel nodded. "All right. Sounds like a plan."
Journey got up and retrieved the book. Then, he brought it back to Angel, who was now sitting up, leaning back against the pillows lining the headboard. Journey climbed up beside him, and Angel wrapped one arm around him. Journey opened the pages with care and began to read. "'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman… "
And that's how they spent their week, together, enthralled in the fantasyland pages of a book.
TBC
Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback. You guys are the greatest! Again, sorry for lack of updates… it's really hectic right now for me, but I'm trying to get the chapters out as soon as I possibly can, so I thank you for your patience. Thanks for everything! :)