Title: Family: Back to Sunnydale
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None, I think!
Summary: Imagine if Connor had never been taken by Wesley, Xander and Anya had never split up and Angel had told Cordelia how he felt. Cordelia gets a phone call that leads her back to Sunnydale and back to the past.
She left the mansion and made her way onto Main Street where she grabbed a coffee and a bagel from the coffee shop. She spotted Willow sat in the back with a girl she didn't recognise. She was going to walk away but Willow saw her and called her over.
"Hi Cordelia." Willow greeted her and then hugged her. "You're here for your dad's wedding. You look really pretty."
"Thanks. You know about the wedding?" She asked and then looked at the girl with Willow. "Hi I'm Cordelia."
"Tara." The girl said and extended her hand. Cordelia shook it.
"Everyone knows about the wedding. Kathryn is like our local celebrity."
"Who's Kathryn?" Cordy asked, confused.
"His fiancée. You don't know her?" Willow looked confused.
"Nope. I didn't even know my folks split up." Cordelia exclaimed.
"Cordelia." Willow glanced at Tara who seemed to urge her on. "Your mom."
Willow was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.
"Sorry." Cordelia smiled and pulled her cell out. "Hi Angel, sorry I left without telling you but you looked so sweet sleeping. I'm on my way to my dad's now; I just bumped into Willow and Tara. He says hi." She told them. "I'll call you at sunset so I can meet you. I'll ring if I need anything. No, I'll be fine. I love you too."
She ended the call and put her phone away. "What were you saying?"
"Your mom, Cordelia, she. she. died." Willow stuttered. "A few weeks back. We sent a card."
"I didn't know." Cordelia fell into the spare chair at their table. "No-one told me. I didn't get a card. What happened?"
"She was in her car and a van came out of nowhere and forced her off the road. The car was totalled. She died in hospital. I think it was a brain haemorrhage. Cordelia I'm so sorry." Willow said and out her arm around the shaking Cordelia.
"Why wouldn't my dad tell me?" She asked with tears in her eyes. "I mean, I know I didn't speak tot hem but she's been dead for weeks and I didn't know. How mean of him. He called me the other day to invite me to his wedding and he never mentioned anything." She suddenly seemed to realise where she was and who she was with.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't ruin your day. I'll be going. Are you going to be at the wedding?"
"No, we're not really friends with Kathryn or your dad. Buffy probably will be, and Dawn. I think Dawn baby-sits for Kathryn's children sometimes."
Cordelia nodded and said goodbye.
She made her way to her father's house quickly and knocked on the door. It was answered by a young woman wearing a robe. "Oh you must be Cordelia!" She gushed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm Kathryn, your new step mum. Or at least I will be at two o clock."
Cordelia just raised her eyebrow at the way this woman was acting. "Oh, do come in."
"I'm pleased to meet you." Cordelia said and looked around. "Is my father here?"
"Oh no, he's at his best man's house across the road." Kathryn said and urged Cordelia to sit down in the living room. "Can I get you a drink?"
"No thank you." Cordelia said and held up the coffee she was holding.
"Oh, how silly of me." The woman stepped back which gave Cordelia time to look at her properly. She was about 5'7 with dark hair and dark eyes. She was pale and slight and had the whole Lilah Morgan thing going on. "I can't tell you how glad I am to have you here. I always urged Raymond to invite you here but he insisted that talking to you on the phone everyday was enough for you. He didn't want to crowd you, you see. He knows you have your own life to lead."
Before Cordelia could answer a young girl walked into the room. She assumed that this was the twelve year old daughter that her father had told her about.
"Momma, there's a spider in the bathroom." The girl said and eyed Cordelia suspiciously.
"Hi, I'm Cordelia." She introduced herself.
"I'm Morgan." The child said and shoved her glasses up her nose. She was small and had long blonde hair that she wore in pigtails. She looked younger than twelve. She turned to her mother. "Jake says that spiders are more afraid of us that we are of them but I don't believe him."
"Hush now. I'll go get the spider. Why don't you sit down and talk to Cordelia, make her feel welcome." Kathryn suggested.
Cordelia smiled and gritted her teeth; this was going to be a long day.
Despite her first thoughts, Morgan was a nice girl. She reminded her of Fred but a little younger. Cordelia found out that she liked horses and ice skating and didn't like boys. Cordelia had laughed at that one and assured her that in a few years she found start liking boys and that they weren't that bad really. Morgan had just shook her head and told her that Jake liked to put worms in her bed.
Willow picked up her cell phone and called Buffy the moment Cordelia had left.
"And she really had no idea that Mrs Chase was dead?" Buffy exclaimed.
"No, but she'll be at the wedding so be nice to her. She might be upset."
"Since when have you been concerned about Cordelia?" Buffy asked.
"She's changed Buffy, wait until you see her." Willow tried to convince her but Buffy wouldn't believe it.
Angel was pacing up and down the room with Connor.
"She'll be fine, man. Barbie can look after herself." Gunn shot Fred an amused look.
The protectiveness was starting already.
"Do you want me to go see if she's okay?" Fred offered.
Angel smiled. "Would you?"
Cordelia crossed the road to the house Kathryn had sent her to. Her father's best man's house. She knocked on the door and waited fro it to be answered. It was her father who stood there.
"Yes?" He looked at her.
"Daddy, it's me." Cordelia told him. "Surely I haven't changed so much in the last three years that you don't recognise your own daughter?"
Mr Chase gasped and then hugged her awkwardly. Cordelia flinched at his touch. "I didn't recognise you. You're blonde and you're so beautiful."
"Why didn't you tell me about mom?" She cut right to the chase.
"I didn't think you'd want to know." He said and turned back into the house.
"Didn't want to know? Father, she was my mother! Of course I wanted to know!"
Cordelia felt tears sting the back of her eyes. If I didn't want to know about my mother being dead then why would I want to know about you getting married?"
"Kathryn insisted that I invite you." He said and then realised the way it sounded. "I wanted to join in my special day."
She nodded slowly. "You always were self centred weren't you?"
"Why did you come here then if I was such a bad father?" He asked angrily.
"I never said you were a bad father!"
"But you implied it!"
"I don't deny that!" She shouted back. "I came here for closure. I came here to see you and Miss Teenage America across there get married so I can finally be rid of you!" She screamed. "So I can finally be free from the years of my life that I hated. You ruined me you know? You and mom. But you have to admit; at least she didn't use her fists!"
He struck out at her then before she realised he was doing it and hit her across her left cheekbone. "The only difference is now is that I dare hit back!" She punched him in the nose hard enough to make it bleed. "I'll stay for your wedding but then I'm out of here."
With that she marched out of the house and slammed the door behind her. "Good riddance." She muttered.
She bumped into Fred on the street. "Hi Cordy, did you see your. oh my God, what happened?" She asked as she saw the red mark on her face and the tears threatening to spill.
"It's okay Fred, I'm fine. I just need a little help covering this up and then I'll be as good as new. And yes, before you ask I saw my dad. He's still an asshole."
They both went back into Kathryn's house. Cordelia introduced Fred to Kathryn and then asked Cordelia to help bathe and dress Morgan and Jake. Fred offered to do Jake for her and Cordelia smiled gratefully.
"Morgan?" She called as she entered the large pink bedroom at the back of the house. "Your mom wants me to help you get ready."
"I can get ready myself." The girl said. She was sat on her bed.
"Okay, well, how about I just keep you company then. Seen as though we're going to be sisters." Cordelia smiled.
"Okay then." Morgan said and got up off the bed and dragged a chair so it was outside her bathroom door. "You can sit here while I get in the bath."
Cordelia did as she was told. "I like your hair." Morgan told her through the open door."
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled. "I like your hair too. If you want I can wash it for you and then blow dry it real nice."
"Really? And then I would look like you!" The girl exclaimed and Cordelia laughed.
"Okay, you can come and wash my hair, but only if you promise to use the coconut stuff 'cause it smells nice."
Cordelia promised and then went to wash the young girl's hair. As she was washing it she noticed bruises on the girl's shoulders. "Where'd you get these bruises Morgan?"
"I fell at school." The girl said and then went quiet.
Cordelia stopped what she was doing and knelt next to the tub so she could look at Morgan. "Does my dad sometimes hurt you?" She asked. "You know, you can tell the truth to me, because you don't know me so it's okay."
Morgan ignored the question but asked one of her own. "Did Ray give you that red mark on your face?"
Cordelia thought about her answer but decided to tell the truth. "Yes he did."
"Sometimes when I make him mad he grabs me by my shoulders and shakes me. Other times he slaps me when I do something wrong" She whispered.
"Do you tell your mom?" Cordelia asked, now concerned as to what her father was doing to the girl.
Morgan nodded. "What does she say?"
"She just tells me that I'm imagining it and that Ray would never hurt me." Morgan said and lowered her head. "I really don't want him to hit me."
"I know sweetie." Cordelia said. "She finished washing Morgan's hair and then left her for a moment to find Fred. She was sat in Jake's bathroom soaking wet playing games with him.
"My dad's beating Morgan up." She whispered in Fred's ear.
"Are you sure?" She asked and then the remembered the mark on Cordy's cheek.
"Oh, I guess you are sure. What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea. Give me a demon or a vampire and I know what to do but give me my father and I'm stumped!" She muttered and then smiled brightly as Kathryn came into the room.
"Jake, honey, you'd better get out of that bath right away and get dressed!" She said.
"Fred, will you be joining Cordelia at the wedding?"
"I would, but I have nothing to wear." She looked down at her soaked jeans and t-shirt and smiled.
"Nonsense, you can wear something of mine." She took Fred's arm and took her into her room.
Cordelia got Jake out of the bath and dressed and then went back to Morgan and dried her hair and got her dressed.
Finally, she was able to sit down in the living room and put her feet up. Having a baby sure takes it out of you, she thought.
Her phone started ringing. He couldn't have planned it any better. "Hi baby."
"Hey. I hope you're taking it easy." Angel warned her.
"I've just sat down." She promised.
"What are you up to?" He asked as Fred sat down next to her wearing a floor length pink dress.
"Me and Fred have just got Kathryn's two kids ready fro the wedding. Willow told me something earlier on. She said that my mom had died. A few weeks back." She felt Fred grip her free hand and heard Angel take in a deep breath.
"Are you okay?"
"Actually I am. It's weird, but I really am okay. I'm just a little shocked that no-one told me." She told him. "But there's something else. Can you remember a couple of years ago when we were talking about our families and I told you that my dad sometimes hit me? I think he's doing the same to Morgan, Kathryn's daughter."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I'm going to go talk to him I think."
"Be careful." He warned. "And take Fred with you. I'll come to you as soon as the sun sets." He promised.
"I know. And I will be careful. I think Willow said Buffy was going to be at the wedding. She said something about Dawn looking after the kids."
"At least she'll be there to protect you if something goes wrong. What do you think of Kathryn?"
"She's nothing like my mom. She's young, not much older than me which, to be honest I find disgusting, and she must have had Morgan when she was, like, fifteen." Cordy told him. "I guess its weird being back here after all this time."
"It's bound to be." She heard Connor start to cry in the background. "I've got to go baby. I'll call you later. I love you."
"Is he worrying?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, but I guess I can't blame him for it can I?" Fred just shook her head.
"I think I'll go and talk to my dad. Do you want to come?" She asked. "Sure I'll come." Fred smiled.
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None, I think!
Summary: Imagine if Connor had never been taken by Wesley, Xander and Anya had never split up and Angel had told Cordelia how he felt. Cordelia gets a phone call that leads her back to Sunnydale and back to the past.
She left the mansion and made her way onto Main Street where she grabbed a coffee and a bagel from the coffee shop. She spotted Willow sat in the back with a girl she didn't recognise. She was going to walk away but Willow saw her and called her over.
"Hi Cordelia." Willow greeted her and then hugged her. "You're here for your dad's wedding. You look really pretty."
"Thanks. You know about the wedding?" She asked and then looked at the girl with Willow. "Hi I'm Cordelia."
"Tara." The girl said and extended her hand. Cordelia shook it.
"Everyone knows about the wedding. Kathryn is like our local celebrity."
"Who's Kathryn?" Cordy asked, confused.
"His fiancée. You don't know her?" Willow looked confused.
"Nope. I didn't even know my folks split up." Cordelia exclaimed.
"Cordelia." Willow glanced at Tara who seemed to urge her on. "Your mom."
Willow was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.
"Sorry." Cordelia smiled and pulled her cell out. "Hi Angel, sorry I left without telling you but you looked so sweet sleeping. I'm on my way to my dad's now; I just bumped into Willow and Tara. He says hi." She told them. "I'll call you at sunset so I can meet you. I'll ring if I need anything. No, I'll be fine. I love you too."
She ended the call and put her phone away. "What were you saying?"
"Your mom, Cordelia, she. she. died." Willow stuttered. "A few weeks back. We sent a card."
"I didn't know." Cordelia fell into the spare chair at their table. "No-one told me. I didn't get a card. What happened?"
"She was in her car and a van came out of nowhere and forced her off the road. The car was totalled. She died in hospital. I think it was a brain haemorrhage. Cordelia I'm so sorry." Willow said and out her arm around the shaking Cordelia.
"Why wouldn't my dad tell me?" She asked with tears in her eyes. "I mean, I know I didn't speak tot hem but she's been dead for weeks and I didn't know. How mean of him. He called me the other day to invite me to his wedding and he never mentioned anything." She suddenly seemed to realise where she was and who she was with.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't ruin your day. I'll be going. Are you going to be at the wedding?"
"No, we're not really friends with Kathryn or your dad. Buffy probably will be, and Dawn. I think Dawn baby-sits for Kathryn's children sometimes."
Cordelia nodded and said goodbye.
She made her way to her father's house quickly and knocked on the door. It was answered by a young woman wearing a robe. "Oh you must be Cordelia!" She gushed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm Kathryn, your new step mum. Or at least I will be at two o clock."
Cordelia just raised her eyebrow at the way this woman was acting. "Oh, do come in."
"I'm pleased to meet you." Cordelia said and looked around. "Is my father here?"
"Oh no, he's at his best man's house across the road." Kathryn said and urged Cordelia to sit down in the living room. "Can I get you a drink?"
"No thank you." Cordelia said and held up the coffee she was holding.
"Oh, how silly of me." The woman stepped back which gave Cordelia time to look at her properly. She was about 5'7 with dark hair and dark eyes. She was pale and slight and had the whole Lilah Morgan thing going on. "I can't tell you how glad I am to have you here. I always urged Raymond to invite you here but he insisted that talking to you on the phone everyday was enough for you. He didn't want to crowd you, you see. He knows you have your own life to lead."
Before Cordelia could answer a young girl walked into the room. She assumed that this was the twelve year old daughter that her father had told her about.
"Momma, there's a spider in the bathroom." The girl said and eyed Cordelia suspiciously.
"Hi, I'm Cordelia." She introduced herself.
"I'm Morgan." The child said and shoved her glasses up her nose. She was small and had long blonde hair that she wore in pigtails. She looked younger than twelve. She turned to her mother. "Jake says that spiders are more afraid of us that we are of them but I don't believe him."
"Hush now. I'll go get the spider. Why don't you sit down and talk to Cordelia, make her feel welcome." Kathryn suggested.
Cordelia smiled and gritted her teeth; this was going to be a long day.
Despite her first thoughts, Morgan was a nice girl. She reminded her of Fred but a little younger. Cordelia found out that she liked horses and ice skating and didn't like boys. Cordelia had laughed at that one and assured her that in a few years she found start liking boys and that they weren't that bad really. Morgan had just shook her head and told her that Jake liked to put worms in her bed.
Willow picked up her cell phone and called Buffy the moment Cordelia had left.
"And she really had no idea that Mrs Chase was dead?" Buffy exclaimed.
"No, but she'll be at the wedding so be nice to her. She might be upset."
"Since when have you been concerned about Cordelia?" Buffy asked.
"She's changed Buffy, wait until you see her." Willow tried to convince her but Buffy wouldn't believe it.
Angel was pacing up and down the room with Connor.
"She'll be fine, man. Barbie can look after herself." Gunn shot Fred an amused look.
The protectiveness was starting already.
"Do you want me to go see if she's okay?" Fred offered.
Angel smiled. "Would you?"
Cordelia crossed the road to the house Kathryn had sent her to. Her father's best man's house. She knocked on the door and waited fro it to be answered. It was her father who stood there.
"Yes?" He looked at her.
"Daddy, it's me." Cordelia told him. "Surely I haven't changed so much in the last three years that you don't recognise your own daughter?"
Mr Chase gasped and then hugged her awkwardly. Cordelia flinched at his touch. "I didn't recognise you. You're blonde and you're so beautiful."
"Why didn't you tell me about mom?" She cut right to the chase.
"I didn't think you'd want to know." He said and turned back into the house.
"Didn't want to know? Father, she was my mother! Of course I wanted to know!"
Cordelia felt tears sting the back of her eyes. If I didn't want to know about my mother being dead then why would I want to know about you getting married?"
"Kathryn insisted that I invite you." He said and then realised the way it sounded. "I wanted to join in my special day."
She nodded slowly. "You always were self centred weren't you?"
"Why did you come here then if I was such a bad father?" He asked angrily.
"I never said you were a bad father!"
"But you implied it!"
"I don't deny that!" She shouted back. "I came here for closure. I came here to see you and Miss Teenage America across there get married so I can finally be rid of you!" She screamed. "So I can finally be free from the years of my life that I hated. You ruined me you know? You and mom. But you have to admit; at least she didn't use her fists!"
He struck out at her then before she realised he was doing it and hit her across her left cheekbone. "The only difference is now is that I dare hit back!" She punched him in the nose hard enough to make it bleed. "I'll stay for your wedding but then I'm out of here."
With that she marched out of the house and slammed the door behind her. "Good riddance." She muttered.
She bumped into Fred on the street. "Hi Cordy, did you see your. oh my God, what happened?" She asked as she saw the red mark on her face and the tears threatening to spill.
"It's okay Fred, I'm fine. I just need a little help covering this up and then I'll be as good as new. And yes, before you ask I saw my dad. He's still an asshole."
They both went back into Kathryn's house. Cordelia introduced Fred to Kathryn and then asked Cordelia to help bathe and dress Morgan and Jake. Fred offered to do Jake for her and Cordelia smiled gratefully.
"Morgan?" She called as she entered the large pink bedroom at the back of the house. "Your mom wants me to help you get ready."
"I can get ready myself." The girl said. She was sat on her bed.
"Okay, well, how about I just keep you company then. Seen as though we're going to be sisters." Cordelia smiled.
"Okay then." Morgan said and got up off the bed and dragged a chair so it was outside her bathroom door. "You can sit here while I get in the bath."
Cordelia did as she was told. "I like your hair." Morgan told her through the open door."
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled. "I like your hair too. If you want I can wash it for you and then blow dry it real nice."
"Really? And then I would look like you!" The girl exclaimed and Cordelia laughed.
"Okay, you can come and wash my hair, but only if you promise to use the coconut stuff 'cause it smells nice."
Cordelia promised and then went to wash the young girl's hair. As she was washing it she noticed bruises on the girl's shoulders. "Where'd you get these bruises Morgan?"
"I fell at school." The girl said and then went quiet.
Cordelia stopped what she was doing and knelt next to the tub so she could look at Morgan. "Does my dad sometimes hurt you?" She asked. "You know, you can tell the truth to me, because you don't know me so it's okay."
Morgan ignored the question but asked one of her own. "Did Ray give you that red mark on your face?"
Cordelia thought about her answer but decided to tell the truth. "Yes he did."
"Sometimes when I make him mad he grabs me by my shoulders and shakes me. Other times he slaps me when I do something wrong" She whispered.
"Do you tell your mom?" Cordelia asked, now concerned as to what her father was doing to the girl.
Morgan nodded. "What does she say?"
"She just tells me that I'm imagining it and that Ray would never hurt me." Morgan said and lowered her head. "I really don't want him to hit me."
"I know sweetie." Cordelia said. "She finished washing Morgan's hair and then left her for a moment to find Fred. She was sat in Jake's bathroom soaking wet playing games with him.
"My dad's beating Morgan up." She whispered in Fred's ear.
"Are you sure?" She asked and then the remembered the mark on Cordy's cheek.
"Oh, I guess you are sure. What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea. Give me a demon or a vampire and I know what to do but give me my father and I'm stumped!" She muttered and then smiled brightly as Kathryn came into the room.
"Jake, honey, you'd better get out of that bath right away and get dressed!" She said.
"Fred, will you be joining Cordelia at the wedding?"
"I would, but I have nothing to wear." She looked down at her soaked jeans and t-shirt and smiled.
"Nonsense, you can wear something of mine." She took Fred's arm and took her into her room.
Cordelia got Jake out of the bath and dressed and then went back to Morgan and dried her hair and got her dressed.
Finally, she was able to sit down in the living room and put her feet up. Having a baby sure takes it out of you, she thought.
Her phone started ringing. He couldn't have planned it any better. "Hi baby."
"Hey. I hope you're taking it easy." Angel warned her.
"I've just sat down." She promised.
"What are you up to?" He asked as Fred sat down next to her wearing a floor length pink dress.
"Me and Fred have just got Kathryn's two kids ready fro the wedding. Willow told me something earlier on. She said that my mom had died. A few weeks back." She felt Fred grip her free hand and heard Angel take in a deep breath.
"Are you okay?"
"Actually I am. It's weird, but I really am okay. I'm just a little shocked that no-one told me." She told him. "But there's something else. Can you remember a couple of years ago when we were talking about our families and I told you that my dad sometimes hit me? I think he's doing the same to Morgan, Kathryn's daughter."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I'm going to go talk to him I think."
"Be careful." He warned. "And take Fred with you. I'll come to you as soon as the sun sets." He promised.
"I know. And I will be careful. I think Willow said Buffy was going to be at the wedding. She said something about Dawn looking after the kids."
"At least she'll be there to protect you if something goes wrong. What do you think of Kathryn?"
"She's nothing like my mom. She's young, not much older than me which, to be honest I find disgusting, and she must have had Morgan when she was, like, fifteen." Cordy told him. "I guess its weird being back here after all this time."
"It's bound to be." She heard Connor start to cry in the background. "I've got to go baby. I'll call you later. I love you."
"Is he worrying?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, but I guess I can't blame him for it can I?" Fred just shook her head.
"I think I'll go and talk to my dad. Do you want to come?" She asked. "Sure I'll come." Fred smiled.
