Title: Family: Forward to LA

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. Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale. The Scoobies visit the Fang Gang.

The AI gang were sat around the counters. The Scoobies had made themselves scarce after being told that Cordelia was back. Giles mentioned something about rare book shops on the other side of town, normally Wes would have been interested but he wanted to see Cordelia more. Spike went out through the sewers with Dawn and the other girls and Xander went shopping.

Cordelia came down the stairs first with Ashleigh in her arms. Angel followed with Connor. The gang all turned to look at her.

"Hi guys." She said shyly.

Wesley smiled and came to hug her gently, not wanting to squash the baby. "It's good to have you home."

She smiled. "Thanks Wes. Do you want to hold her?"

He nodded eagerly and took her off Cordelia.

Fred came up to hug her then, followed by Gunn and then Lorne. "You're looking fabulous doll."

Angel came to stand behind her and put an arm around her shoulders. The gang all crowded around Wes to look at the baby.

"She's so tiny." Fred exclaimed.

"I take it you two sorted everything out?" Gunn asked.

Angel nodded. "Completely sorted out."

"We're good." Cordelia grinned.

She looked up and Angel and he kissed her.

"Aww, aren't they sweet!" Gunn teased and Angel instantly frowned.

Cordelia took Connor off Angel and went to sit down at her desk. "What's happening then?"

"Nothing really." Fred replied. ""We've got a case at the moment where demons are stealing artefacts from the History Museum. We got a tip off that they'll be stealing a sceptre two weeks from now so we're going to be staking it out to catch them."

"What kind of demons?" She asked and accessed the file on the computer.

"Shirad." Wes answered, not looking up from the baby.

"What are they stealing the stuff for?" She asked and started to scan the notes.

"To start a ritual called the Rumptar. It will make the demon in question become invincible. So we don't want that to happen. They still have three more artefacts to collect so we're ahead of it." Fred explained.

"Great." She murmured as she read the text on the screen. "What time do we leave?"

"We?" Angel asked incredulously. "You are not going!"

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at him.

"Oh oh." Gunn said under his breath. "Here we go again."

"Why am I not going?"

"You've just had a baby." He said, as if she were stupid.

"Yeah, and? Back in your day women had children and then went back to work an hour later. Child birth is a lot easier now than it was then and besides, I didn't technically give birth!" She argued.

"No, you go knocked over by a moving vehicle and then had a serious operation!" He shouted.

"Angel, honey, you know I never listen to you anyway so why are we arguing?" She said sweetly.

Lorne snickered and Angel spun around to start on him but he just held up his hands in peace.

"Come on bro'." Gunn said to him. "You know Barbie's right!"

He frowned but didn't reply. He turned back to Cordelia but she'd gone into the kitchen to get Connor some food and his bottle.

He threw up his hands. "I give up!"

Giles, Buffy, Willow and Xander arrived back around five o clock. Cordelia was sat at her desk with Ashleigh reading the new Stephen King novel. She'd tried to stop reading them, claiming that she had enough excitement in her life, but every time a new one came out she fond herself buying it. Connor was playing in his playpen on the floor next to her. Wes was in his office on the phone to his father in England Fred was making a salad in the kitchen, trying to be domestic and Angel and Gunn were training in the basement with Lorne watching over them and keeping a score. They all stood behind the counter looking at her awkwardly until she looked up at them. Giles took the initiative and came to kiss her on the cheek and admire Ashleigh. Willow came to say hello to her but Buffy and Xander kept their distance and just nodded hello to her.

Cordelia said very little and was grateful when they left her to her book so they could go change and shower upstairs. After a little while Ashleigh stirred and wanted feeding so she went into the kitchen to breastfeed her. It was then that Gunn walked in. He stumbled when he saw what she was doing and began stuttering and blushing.

Cordelia took delight in the black man's discomfort.

"It's okay Gunn." She told him laughing. "You can't see anything. I don't mind."

He blushed. "But it's a private kinda thing, kinda mother and daughter thing, private, not me thing."

He took a step backwards and knocked the metal salad bowl off the counter sending both salad and bowl onto the floor.

The noise startled Ashleigh and she began to cry so Cordelia pulled her away from her breast and whispered soothing words to her while Fred scolded her boyfriend.

Cordelia burst out laughing at the perplexed look on Gunn's face and even Wes, who had come out of his office to see what the commotion was about, laughed. Eventually Fred saw the funny side and began to pick bits of lettuce and tomato off the floor.

"What's Angel doing?" Cordelia asked.

"We're still training." Gunn replied. "I only came up for a drink but I think I'm fine." He raced out of the kitchen and back down to the basement.

Cordelia and Fred burst out laughing again and Wes went back into his office to resume his phone call with a smile on his face.

Cordelia gave the baby to Fred and then made a pitcher of lemonade. She took it down to the basement.

Gunn and Angel were deep in a sword fight so she just took a seat next to Lorne and watched.

"I think your champion's winning." Lorne whispered and accepted a glass of lemonade.

She smiled. "He always does."

"Hey, did you here anything from Kathryn?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I got a letter from her a couple of weeks ago. They're in Kentucky. They've got their own house and a car and I think they're doing okay. Morgan put a note in saying that she misses me and Jake drew me a picture of their new car."

She turned back to the fight. Gunn had his arm back ready to strike but Angel was faster and knocked it from his hand before he could. The both turned towards Lorne and noticed Cordy.

"Hey guys, I brought lemonade."

They both smiled and accepted it. "When do I get to train with you again?" She asked Angel which caused him to choke on his lemonade and start to cough. "What?"

"I'm kidding Angel." She kissed his forehead and then left, leaving him to wonder whether she really was kidding.

The AI gang were the only ones to stop in that night. Spike, Anya and Dawn had returned and been told to change as Giles had booked a table at a restaurant. Wes ordered Chinese and they all settled down in Angel and Cordelia's room to watch Erin Brockovich and, Gunn's choice, Dumb and Dumber. Angel insisted that he look after the children while Cordelia sat back and do nothing. Halfway through the first film she was fast asleep on the bed with Angel sat in a chair next to her holding her hand. Noticing that she was asleep the gang offered to leave but he insisted that she wouldn't wake up.

They let her sleep late the following morning. Fred and Lorne took care of Ashleigh and Connor while Angel went out on business with Gunn. Wes was entertaining their guests in the boarded up ballroom in the east wing that they didn't use. Before Cordelia had gotten pregnant she'd started to tidy it up and make it liveable. Lorne had even suggested that they open a club there but icy looks from Angel had inspired him to reopen Caritas after Holtz had destroyed it.

Buffy and Spike were working out while Willow, Giles and Wes played chess. Anya, Dawn and Xander were playing Life, which Anya was winning.

Cordelia went into the lobby wearing only Angel's shirt and made herself a cup of black coffee. Fred smiled at her from her position behind Wes's desk.

"Are you feeling a little less tired?"

"A bit." She smiled back. "I can't believe I dropped to sleep like that. You should have woken me."

"You looked so sweet lying there that we didn't have the heart to." She giggled. "I think Ashleigh is awake if you want to feed her. Angel gave her formula this morning but I'm not too sure she liked it."

Cordelia nodded and went to her babies. Connor was fast asleep in his bassinet so she planted a kiss on his forehead before picking up the wide awake Ashleigh.

"Hello baby." She smiled and kissed her forehead. "Did you miss mommy?"

"What's it like?" Fred asked.

"What's what like?"

"Being a mom?"

"Well, I was kinda a mom before so there's not much difference. Except for the fact that I know she is mine and no-one can tell me otherwise." Cordelia said dreamily. "When I woke up in hospital I thought I'd lost her and I was so sad, but then Angel told me that she was alive and it was so amazing."

"I bet."

"Do you want kids?" Cordelia asked her, seeing where the conversation was headed.

"No she doesn't." Gunn interrupted after coming into the lobby with Angel without them hearing. "Right, you don't? Right?" He looked panicked.

"Of course not." Fred said but wouldn't meet his eyes. "I think two babies to look after is enough right?"

"Damn right." He said and came over to her to kiss her.

Cordelia smiled at them and then turned to Angel. "Hey."

He kissed her. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah, it was good. I want to train." She replied and looked at him.

"No way." He shook his head.

Her gaze hardened. "It wasn't a question."

"Absolutely out of the question." He said, raising his voice.

"There's not only you that I can train with." She threatened. "Gunn will train with me, right?"

He nodded but then noticed Angel's threatening glance. "Er, maybe not."

Cordelia spun towards Angel. "Don't you dare! It has been long enough. I am feeling fat and lazy and I want to train."

"No!" He shouted.

"I'll go to a gym and work out!" She threatened. "Or I'll get Spike to train me."

"You wouldn't!" He smiled.

"Want to bet?" She threatened again.

"Yes I do!" He called her bluff.

"Fine." She turned away from him and put Ashleigh in her bassinet and went up the stairs.

Gunn burst out laughing. "Angel, man, don't you know anything about her?"

He shook his head at how stupid he had been and then ran after her, leaving Fred and Gunn to smirk after him.

"Hey Spike." Cordelia began. "Buffy." She greeted unenthusiastically. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"If I can."

"Will you train with me?" She asked.

He looked vaguely surprised, he was sure Angel would want to train with the cheerleader. "If you want." He avoided the dark look Buffy was shooting him.

"She doesn't want!" Angel shouted across the room, causing everyone to look at him.

"She doesn't want to train with you."

She spun around. "Yes I do."

"No you don't." He insisted and came across to her, trying to stop himself from looking at her bare legs. "You can train with me."

She smiled. "Sorry Spike. It's about time you gave in Angel. I gave you five minutes. It took you." She looked at her watch. "Nine and a half minutes. I wasn't too far off."

She sauntered past him and went back to her room to get dressed, leaving Angel receiving amused glances from the other in the room.

He smiled sheepishly and made a hastily retreat.

He growled at her. "I can't believe you just did that."

He was following her down the hall watching her hips swing.

"It worked didn't it?" She smirked and turned around, catching him looking. He raised his eyes. "See something you like?" She taunted.

"Like wasn't the chosen word." He grinned and pulled her towards him. "Do you feel up to it yet?"

"Up to what?" She teased.

"Put it this way; are your stitches in properly?"

She nodded and let him pick her up and carry her back to their room.