The Way To A Man's Heart Is...
"China was a dangerous place to be in the 1900, the Boxer Revolution revealed many unexplained deaths…"
Cordelia was listening to her lecturer drone on about the Boxer Revolution. She had to stifle a snort as the lecturer put the killings down to wild animals. 'No, it's my champion!' she thought to herself. A shrill ringing interrupted the muse and her lecturer. It was her cell phone in her backpack.
"Hello?" She asked, flipping the phone open.
Her lecturer tapped his foot in annoyance. "Young lady, if you won't mind taking that outside."
She gathered her things and fled the theater.
"Hello, is that Miss Chase? This is Riverside Mall. We have your son Conner in our care."
Meanwhile:
Where was he? Buffy's mind screamed as she frantically searched every buggy that passed her by. She had considered phoning Angel but he would see she couldn't be trusted with his son and never come back to her. Instead she would find Conner, get back to the hotel for Cordelia coming home and no one would be all the wiser. Easier said than done. Her eyes scanned frantically over the Mall area. The palace was huge and the person could have taken him anywhere.
'Think rationally Buffy!' She mentally scorned. 'Find a security guard, ask him to find the baby…Angel's baby…should be my baby not Cordelia's'. She scorned herself again. Now was not the time to be getting self-centered (!). Just as she got to the security guard, an announcement in her name flooded the mall.
'Oh Sh…'
Meanwhile:
"What do you mean, my son is in your care?" Cordelia was shaking, her knees threatened to give way as she slumped into a chair in the hall.
"He was found outside of the Mother and Baby room. They brought him to us. He has a baby ID bracelet attached to his ankle."
"He was meant to be with a family friend. Oh my God, I can't believe this. I'll be there as soon as possible." She muttered down the phone as she ran out of the collage main door.
At The Mall:
Cordelia stormed through the doors of the security room where she could see Conner sitting in his buggy being fussed over by female members of staff. She ran over to the buggy, scooping Conner out and holding him so close to her heart. He could probably feel the vibration as her heart went 20 to the dozen.
"Ah, Miss Chase. We had someone check him over. He's fine, just a little hungry and tired." The head security guard told her, compassion in his eyes.
"I thought…you think the worst. Can you do me a favor? Call Buffy Summers over the tannoy."
Cordelia stood waiting for Buffy, knowing that her resolve to be forgiven was fading to a thread hold. The little blonde burst through the doors looking in all directions until she seen a red faced Cordelia holding a small child very close to her. Cordelia dumped the diaper bag in her hands, put Conner back in the buggy and then frog-marched Buffy out of the office.
Cordelia took Angels car, followed by Buffy's. Cordelia didn't turn on the radio for Conner or anything; she sat in absolute silence until she reached the hotel. The baby carrier was in her arm and as she carefully took the steps to the hotel, not waiting for Buffy. Cordelia placed Conner in his playpen in her office and waited for Buffy, who sheepishly looked at the ground.
"How the Hell did you manage to lose my son? Jesus Buffy. He is in a buggy the size of a Desert Storm tank and you still manage to lose him."
"But there was a Vampire attacking…" Buffy started.
"So you ran off, leaving my son in a Mall where he could have been snatched and taken away. Are you out of that peroxide infected brain of yours? He could have been taken…There was a case in England for Christ sakes Buffy. I can't believe you just ran off and left him."
"What's going on?" Angel asked groggily, dressed only in a pair of black trousers.
"The bottle blonde here managed to leave our baby outside a baby changing room to going chasing after creatures of the night. A passer-by found him an handed him in, like some piece of lost property."
Angel turned to Buffy, his face paled. "What the Hell were you doing with my son? He was meant to be at daycare?"
"You didn't tell him?" Cordelia flung her arms up in the air. "I can't believe this."
Buffy still looked at the ground. "Well Angel was asleep and you know how grumpy he gets when you wake him up."
"What you can't write a note? Buffy, Conner is very special. People are after his blood." Angel turned to Cordelia, "Is he OK?"
"Yeah, happy as Larry. Doesn't have a clue." Cordelia turned to Buffy with cold eyes. "You so much as touch Conner and I will personally make you pay!" Cordelia walked away with Angel in tow.
Buffy watched as they went into Cordelia's office. Angel's hands were on her shoulders. He asked her something and she started to cry, his arms enveloping her and bringing her close to him. Buffy watched in disgust as Cordelia wrapped her arms around his waist. OK plan A fail, now it was plan B time.
Willows Room:
It still looked like a hotel room: Bed, couch, desk with a kettle, tea bags, coffee and little cartons of milk.
"Why does this place still look like a hotel and less like a home? I think Cordy said something about people could stay if they were in trouble. Cordy's idea. Angel wanted his space and that was what the hotel was meant to be. Angel whined. I've never seen Angel whine. I mean I hadn't seen him smile either." Willow rambled on. "Cordelia's great though. I mean she does this mother gig really well, and she's at collage just like us. Then at night she does the whole demon-fighting thing, which is really hard, and then she looks after Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Angel really well."
"Well that's just peachy. Willow, I need your help. What is the best way to a mans heart?"
"His stomach. Oz used to love Banoffee Pie. I borrowed one of Giles cookbooks, Jamie Oliver I think, and made him a huge one. We had a great night that night! Why who you got your eye on?" Buffy looked away. "Oh it isn't Gunn is it 'cos you know him and Fred are engaged."
Buffy screwed up her face. "Eww. No! This guy doesn't eat, well much. So anything else?"
"Angel Again?!" Willow exclaimed. "Well I guess Angel used to like poetry and books. He liked to brood, but I haven't seen much of that lately. Could try the little bookstore two blocks away. Wesley took Giles there this morning and Giles was like a child at Christmas when he came back. All old books and dust."
"Willow, you're great. What would I do without you?" Buffy jumped off the bed and scurried out of the room before Willow had a chance to tell her the information she had discovered about Cordelia's condition, her way to fix it.
Hotel Lobby:
Buffy grabbed her purse and ran out of the hotel sending Wesley flying off his feet. 2 blocks, Willow had said and there it was. It looked creepy and dusty on the outside…just Angels type of place. When she went in she was shocked to find it was clean and homely. There were huge red sofas on both floors, the sanded wooden floors gleamed and there were people milling around, minding their own business. It seemed like Giles type of place. She looked above her head to find the sign that pointed to 'Old Poetry' only to find that there wasn't one. There was a willowy looking woman with long black hair was standing behind the gothic-looking checkout desk.
"Excuse me. I am looking for a really old book of poetry for a very old friend of mine."
"Is your friend Vampire, demon or human?" The old lady asked.
Buffy looked at the woman in shock. "Um..Vampire, 250 years old...souled! I just want to get a present for him."
"Honey, the way to man's heart can be through words, but I fear yours may fall on deaf ears."
"I didn't come in for an agony aunt. I just want a book." Buffy huffed. The willowy woman pointed to the back of the shop.
She scanned the books for any spines that looked ancient enough for the bicentennial Vampire. Buffy pulled out a book and looked at the gold engraving on the cover. 'Words of Rhyme' by someone called William DeNue. As she peeled open the first page she read the inscription. 'To Laura, Someone Else Speaks My Words For Me, Love Alexander March 1834' Perfect, Buffy thought, old and romantic. Just what she needed. Buffy smiled all the way to the hotel.
Buffy rushed through the hotel to Angel's office to find him and Cordelia in deep conversation.
"Ah Buffy, I wanted to talk to you. About what happened this afternoon." Angel said looking up from the plans they were looking at on his desk.
Cordelia made a subtle exit, glaring at Buffy as she left the room. Obviously old wounds couldn't heal, neither could recent one.
"You need to understand some things about Conner. He is a very special baby. I mean, I was never meant to have a child and now I do I am not about to let you take that away from me. Once day Conner will help in a battle and we will do anything we can to make sure he makes it that far. I don't expect you to understand. I mean Dawn was old enough to understand most of what was going on around her and Conner isn't. You aren't to take Conner out again unless there is someone else with you. This isn't something against you Buffy." They both heard a muffled 'Yeah Right' from behind the door. "I just have to protect my family."
Buffy looked at the floor in shame. "I understand Angel. I bought you something to say sorry." She handed him the book.
Angel turned it over in his hands before opening it. "Cordelia bought me the original copy of this when Conner was born." He smiled fondly and Buffy deflated. "But the inscription makes it special." He quickly added. "Thank-you Buffy."
Everything seemed to be settled until a street-wise voice echoed through the hotel. "yo, yo, I heard someone lost the baby...The Slayer!" It was followed by a high pitched and deep laughter.
Angel was left with a very pouty and embarrassed Slayer.
~~*~~**~~*~~
OK Part Three, over...part four half complete and lets just say it involves laundry, red socks and a tub of ice cream!!!!
p/s: Sorry about the mistakes ScoobyGal55...tried to fix that in this one but read my profile for the reason why!
"China was a dangerous place to be in the 1900, the Boxer Revolution revealed many unexplained deaths…"
Cordelia was listening to her lecturer drone on about the Boxer Revolution. She had to stifle a snort as the lecturer put the killings down to wild animals. 'No, it's my champion!' she thought to herself. A shrill ringing interrupted the muse and her lecturer. It was her cell phone in her backpack.
"Hello?" She asked, flipping the phone open.
Her lecturer tapped his foot in annoyance. "Young lady, if you won't mind taking that outside."
She gathered her things and fled the theater.
"Hello, is that Miss Chase? This is Riverside Mall. We have your son Conner in our care."
Meanwhile:
Where was he? Buffy's mind screamed as she frantically searched every buggy that passed her by. She had considered phoning Angel but he would see she couldn't be trusted with his son and never come back to her. Instead she would find Conner, get back to the hotel for Cordelia coming home and no one would be all the wiser. Easier said than done. Her eyes scanned frantically over the Mall area. The palace was huge and the person could have taken him anywhere.
'Think rationally Buffy!' She mentally scorned. 'Find a security guard, ask him to find the baby…Angel's baby…should be my baby not Cordelia's'. She scorned herself again. Now was not the time to be getting self-centered (!). Just as she got to the security guard, an announcement in her name flooded the mall.
'Oh Sh…'
Meanwhile:
"What do you mean, my son is in your care?" Cordelia was shaking, her knees threatened to give way as she slumped into a chair in the hall.
"He was found outside of the Mother and Baby room. They brought him to us. He has a baby ID bracelet attached to his ankle."
"He was meant to be with a family friend. Oh my God, I can't believe this. I'll be there as soon as possible." She muttered down the phone as she ran out of the collage main door.
At The Mall:
Cordelia stormed through the doors of the security room where she could see Conner sitting in his buggy being fussed over by female members of staff. She ran over to the buggy, scooping Conner out and holding him so close to her heart. He could probably feel the vibration as her heart went 20 to the dozen.
"Ah, Miss Chase. We had someone check him over. He's fine, just a little hungry and tired." The head security guard told her, compassion in his eyes.
"I thought…you think the worst. Can you do me a favor? Call Buffy Summers over the tannoy."
Cordelia stood waiting for Buffy, knowing that her resolve to be forgiven was fading to a thread hold. The little blonde burst through the doors looking in all directions until she seen a red faced Cordelia holding a small child very close to her. Cordelia dumped the diaper bag in her hands, put Conner back in the buggy and then frog-marched Buffy out of the office.
Cordelia took Angels car, followed by Buffy's. Cordelia didn't turn on the radio for Conner or anything; she sat in absolute silence until she reached the hotel. The baby carrier was in her arm and as she carefully took the steps to the hotel, not waiting for Buffy. Cordelia placed Conner in his playpen in her office and waited for Buffy, who sheepishly looked at the ground.
"How the Hell did you manage to lose my son? Jesus Buffy. He is in a buggy the size of a Desert Storm tank and you still manage to lose him."
"But there was a Vampire attacking…" Buffy started.
"So you ran off, leaving my son in a Mall where he could have been snatched and taken away. Are you out of that peroxide infected brain of yours? He could have been taken…There was a case in England for Christ sakes Buffy. I can't believe you just ran off and left him."
"What's going on?" Angel asked groggily, dressed only in a pair of black trousers.
"The bottle blonde here managed to leave our baby outside a baby changing room to going chasing after creatures of the night. A passer-by found him an handed him in, like some piece of lost property."
Angel turned to Buffy, his face paled. "What the Hell were you doing with my son? He was meant to be at daycare?"
"You didn't tell him?" Cordelia flung her arms up in the air. "I can't believe this."
Buffy still looked at the ground. "Well Angel was asleep and you know how grumpy he gets when you wake him up."
"What you can't write a note? Buffy, Conner is very special. People are after his blood." Angel turned to Cordelia, "Is he OK?"
"Yeah, happy as Larry. Doesn't have a clue." Cordelia turned to Buffy with cold eyes. "You so much as touch Conner and I will personally make you pay!" Cordelia walked away with Angel in tow.
Buffy watched as they went into Cordelia's office. Angel's hands were on her shoulders. He asked her something and she started to cry, his arms enveloping her and bringing her close to him. Buffy watched in disgust as Cordelia wrapped her arms around his waist. OK plan A fail, now it was plan B time.
Willows Room:
It still looked like a hotel room: Bed, couch, desk with a kettle, tea bags, coffee and little cartons of milk.
"Why does this place still look like a hotel and less like a home? I think Cordy said something about people could stay if they were in trouble. Cordy's idea. Angel wanted his space and that was what the hotel was meant to be. Angel whined. I've never seen Angel whine. I mean I hadn't seen him smile either." Willow rambled on. "Cordelia's great though. I mean she does this mother gig really well, and she's at collage just like us. Then at night she does the whole demon-fighting thing, which is really hard, and then she looks after Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Angel really well."
"Well that's just peachy. Willow, I need your help. What is the best way to a mans heart?"
"His stomach. Oz used to love Banoffee Pie. I borrowed one of Giles cookbooks, Jamie Oliver I think, and made him a huge one. We had a great night that night! Why who you got your eye on?" Buffy looked away. "Oh it isn't Gunn is it 'cos you know him and Fred are engaged."
Buffy screwed up her face. "Eww. No! This guy doesn't eat, well much. So anything else?"
"Angel Again?!" Willow exclaimed. "Well I guess Angel used to like poetry and books. He liked to brood, but I haven't seen much of that lately. Could try the little bookstore two blocks away. Wesley took Giles there this morning and Giles was like a child at Christmas when he came back. All old books and dust."
"Willow, you're great. What would I do without you?" Buffy jumped off the bed and scurried out of the room before Willow had a chance to tell her the information she had discovered about Cordelia's condition, her way to fix it.
Hotel Lobby:
Buffy grabbed her purse and ran out of the hotel sending Wesley flying off his feet. 2 blocks, Willow had said and there it was. It looked creepy and dusty on the outside…just Angels type of place. When she went in she was shocked to find it was clean and homely. There were huge red sofas on both floors, the sanded wooden floors gleamed and there were people milling around, minding their own business. It seemed like Giles type of place. She looked above her head to find the sign that pointed to 'Old Poetry' only to find that there wasn't one. There was a willowy looking woman with long black hair was standing behind the gothic-looking checkout desk.
"Excuse me. I am looking for a really old book of poetry for a very old friend of mine."
"Is your friend Vampire, demon or human?" The old lady asked.
Buffy looked at the woman in shock. "Um..Vampire, 250 years old...souled! I just want to get a present for him."
"Honey, the way to man's heart can be through words, but I fear yours may fall on deaf ears."
"I didn't come in for an agony aunt. I just want a book." Buffy huffed. The willowy woman pointed to the back of the shop.
She scanned the books for any spines that looked ancient enough for the bicentennial Vampire. Buffy pulled out a book and looked at the gold engraving on the cover. 'Words of Rhyme' by someone called William DeNue. As she peeled open the first page she read the inscription. 'To Laura, Someone Else Speaks My Words For Me, Love Alexander March 1834' Perfect, Buffy thought, old and romantic. Just what she needed. Buffy smiled all the way to the hotel.
Buffy rushed through the hotel to Angel's office to find him and Cordelia in deep conversation.
"Ah Buffy, I wanted to talk to you. About what happened this afternoon." Angel said looking up from the plans they were looking at on his desk.
Cordelia made a subtle exit, glaring at Buffy as she left the room. Obviously old wounds couldn't heal, neither could recent one.
"You need to understand some things about Conner. He is a very special baby. I mean, I was never meant to have a child and now I do I am not about to let you take that away from me. Once day Conner will help in a battle and we will do anything we can to make sure he makes it that far. I don't expect you to understand. I mean Dawn was old enough to understand most of what was going on around her and Conner isn't. You aren't to take Conner out again unless there is someone else with you. This isn't something against you Buffy." They both heard a muffled 'Yeah Right' from behind the door. "I just have to protect my family."
Buffy looked at the floor in shame. "I understand Angel. I bought you something to say sorry." She handed him the book.
Angel turned it over in his hands before opening it. "Cordelia bought me the original copy of this when Conner was born." He smiled fondly and Buffy deflated. "But the inscription makes it special." He quickly added. "Thank-you Buffy."
Everything seemed to be settled until a street-wise voice echoed through the hotel. "yo, yo, I heard someone lost the baby...The Slayer!" It was followed by a high pitched and deep laughter.
Angel was left with a very pouty and embarrassed Slayer.
~~*~~**~~*~~
OK Part Three, over...part four half complete and lets just say it involves laundry, red socks and a tub of ice cream!!!!
p/s: Sorry about the mistakes ScoobyGal55...tried to fix that in this one but read my profile for the reason why!