Protected
Chapter Seven
Dire Situation
Connor found a fairly solemn bunch in the lobby when they returned. Wesley had handed Fred some ice that she held over her jaw. Gunn was sharpening the stakes, whittling away at the point. Lorne was on the phone, speaking calmly to whoever was on the other end.
"I know, Pumpkin. Wesley's got to take care of this matter with his sister and we'll be there.
Buffy's gone? You angels kicked her out of the house. Faith is the leader now.
Everyone wants her to come back. She will be back. She won't leave you guys in the lurch, Sweet Pea.
Yes, I realize the First is a major bad. You don't need us right now. Hon, Cordelia's unconcious. We can't just leave her behind either. We can't bring her to Sunnydale without being able to fight.
I know you all need as much help as you can get, but you'll have to wait a couple more days. I promise we'll be there. Sunnydale will survive a few days.
The ubervamps are burning it down. Lordy, we'll be there soon.
Yes. Go ahead and tell Mr. Giles and Faith about the back up arriving. Goodbye, Dawnie."
Connor's face had fallen.
"Cordy's unconcious?"
Fred smiled at him bravely.
"She'll be fine, Connor. The Galrok is gone."
"Is the baby still alive?"
Fred shrugged. "I don't really know. We don't know if the baby was at all human. It might have been fully Galrok. If it is, it's gone."
"You're not sure."
"Not since Cordelia's still asleep."
Connor fixed his eyes on a spot on the wall. The baby might be gone. He might not be a father anymore. Cordelia was upstairs, possibly dying. *Oh, Cordy.* Mercy started to rub his shoulders in a calming motion, but he yanked away from the girl. He looked up at the stairs before climbing them slowly.
Angel stood vigil over Cordelia's sleeping form. He had fallen in love with her. No matter how badly she had hurt him, he still loved her. She looked so pale, so sickly and in pain. She wasn't at all the vivacious girl he'd always known. He listened carefully to see if he heard two heart beats.
*Thump thump thump thump*
There was Cordy's. He listened even closer, but there was no other heartbeat. There never had been a heartbeat. He'd seen Cordy while she was pregnant, even if he didn't know it. And that's exactly why he'd never picked up that she was. There wasn't an extra heartbeat. The baby had always been Galrok, never an actual child. Still, his heart went out to Cordelia. To lose her baby, it would break her heart. Unless she didn't remember what she'd done. That would be something to be thankful for. He could hear the heavy trodding down the hall and knew Connor was inching to the room. Angel looked up and met his son's eyes.
Connor whispered, showing his first trace of fear, "There's no baby, is there?"
Angel shook his head. Connor felt water spring to his eyes. He sat down on the other side of Cordelia, clasping her hand.
"I know you're angry with us, Angel. But nothing else was going to happen between Cordy and I. We would have loved the baby, but Cordelia always loved you. I did want it. If Cordelia even knew about the baby, or if the demon simply took her over, I don't care. I loved the baby. I would have."
"I know. Remember, I love you. I mean, you'll alway be my kid, no matter what you do. Nothing will change that."
Connor felt a truce fall into place between them as they both stared at Cordelia.
Wesley waited for his father to call. He waited to be served with a court date. Nothing yet. Wesley just wanted to find out what he had to do to keep Mercy in his custody. His father planned this. Nicholas wanted to make him afraid, wonder what his dad's plots were. Angel and Connor were also doing their share of waiting impatiently. Cordelia had hardly even moved since the night before. She seemed to be in some kind of catatonia. Eventually, she snapped out of it. The first thing her hazel eyes fell upon were father and son hovering over her."Angel? What happened?"
"You don't remember." Angel said it more of a comment than a question.
Cordelia blinked a couple times, as if trying to draw back her memory.
"I was pregnant except it wasn't possible. It wasn't real. The Beast came...I'm the one who called the Beast."
Cordelia shot out of bed, her world spinning out of control.
"I stole Angel's soul to keep Angelus. I killed, oh, I killed Lilah!"
Cordelia wailed and fell to her knees. "I killed Lilah. A human. I murdered a human."
Connor kneeled beside her.
"It was the demon. The Galrok took your body over as a host. It wasn't you, Cordy. You couldn't control what you were doing."
"I tried to work with Angelus. I helped blot out the sun. I tried to bring on an apocalypse. Oh, no..."
Cordelia huddled into a corner, her arms covering her head.
"The baby's gone, isn't it?"
"It wasn't a baby. Never was. It was always a demon." Connor supplied.
"But it was mine. I loved it."
"I know."
Connor stated it simply, tring to comfort her. "I killed someone. I hurt Fred. My baby's gone. I'm a freakin' murderer."
Angel took Connor's place of comfort. "It wasn't you, Cordelia. It's just like my time as Angelus wasn't me."
"You were a demon with no conscience, Broodboy."
"So were you."
Cordelia continued to cry as Angel pulled her into his arms. She clutched his black, button down shirt, her tears soaking the cloth. Connor knew there was nothing he could do now, except leave the grieving Cordelia with her angel.
Chapter Seven
Dire Situation
Connor found a fairly solemn bunch in the lobby when they returned. Wesley had handed Fred some ice that she held over her jaw. Gunn was sharpening the stakes, whittling away at the point. Lorne was on the phone, speaking calmly to whoever was on the other end.
"I know, Pumpkin. Wesley's got to take care of this matter with his sister and we'll be there.
Buffy's gone? You angels kicked her out of the house. Faith is the leader now.
Everyone wants her to come back. She will be back. She won't leave you guys in the lurch, Sweet Pea.
Yes, I realize the First is a major bad. You don't need us right now. Hon, Cordelia's unconcious. We can't just leave her behind either. We can't bring her to Sunnydale without being able to fight.
I know you all need as much help as you can get, but you'll have to wait a couple more days. I promise we'll be there. Sunnydale will survive a few days.
The ubervamps are burning it down. Lordy, we'll be there soon.
Yes. Go ahead and tell Mr. Giles and Faith about the back up arriving. Goodbye, Dawnie."
Connor's face had fallen.
"Cordy's unconcious?"
Fred smiled at him bravely.
"She'll be fine, Connor. The Galrok is gone."
"Is the baby still alive?"
Fred shrugged. "I don't really know. We don't know if the baby was at all human. It might have been fully Galrok. If it is, it's gone."
"You're not sure."
"Not since Cordelia's still asleep."
Connor fixed his eyes on a spot on the wall. The baby might be gone. He might not be a father anymore. Cordelia was upstairs, possibly dying. *Oh, Cordy.* Mercy started to rub his shoulders in a calming motion, but he yanked away from the girl. He looked up at the stairs before climbing them slowly.
Angel stood vigil over Cordelia's sleeping form. He had fallen in love with her. No matter how badly she had hurt him, he still loved her. She looked so pale, so sickly and in pain. She wasn't at all the vivacious girl he'd always known. He listened carefully to see if he heard two heart beats.
*Thump thump thump thump*
There was Cordy's. He listened even closer, but there was no other heartbeat. There never had been a heartbeat. He'd seen Cordy while she was pregnant, even if he didn't know it. And that's exactly why he'd never picked up that she was. There wasn't an extra heartbeat. The baby had always been Galrok, never an actual child. Still, his heart went out to Cordelia. To lose her baby, it would break her heart. Unless she didn't remember what she'd done. That would be something to be thankful for. He could hear the heavy trodding down the hall and knew Connor was inching to the room. Angel looked up and met his son's eyes.
Connor whispered, showing his first trace of fear, "There's no baby, is there?"
Angel shook his head. Connor felt water spring to his eyes. He sat down on the other side of Cordelia, clasping her hand.
"I know you're angry with us, Angel. But nothing else was going to happen between Cordy and I. We would have loved the baby, but Cordelia always loved you. I did want it. If Cordelia even knew about the baby, or if the demon simply took her over, I don't care. I loved the baby. I would have."
"I know. Remember, I love you. I mean, you'll alway be my kid, no matter what you do. Nothing will change that."
Connor felt a truce fall into place between them as they both stared at Cordelia.
Wesley waited for his father to call. He waited to be served with a court date. Nothing yet. Wesley just wanted to find out what he had to do to keep Mercy in his custody. His father planned this. Nicholas wanted to make him afraid, wonder what his dad's plots were. Angel and Connor were also doing their share of waiting impatiently. Cordelia had hardly even moved since the night before. She seemed to be in some kind of catatonia. Eventually, she snapped out of it. The first thing her hazel eyes fell upon were father and son hovering over her."Angel? What happened?"
"You don't remember." Angel said it more of a comment than a question.
Cordelia blinked a couple times, as if trying to draw back her memory.
"I was pregnant except it wasn't possible. It wasn't real. The Beast came...I'm the one who called the Beast."
Cordelia shot out of bed, her world spinning out of control.
"I stole Angel's soul to keep Angelus. I killed, oh, I killed Lilah!"
Cordelia wailed and fell to her knees. "I killed Lilah. A human. I murdered a human."
Connor kneeled beside her.
"It was the demon. The Galrok took your body over as a host. It wasn't you, Cordy. You couldn't control what you were doing."
"I tried to work with Angelus. I helped blot out the sun. I tried to bring on an apocalypse. Oh, no..."
Cordelia huddled into a corner, her arms covering her head.
"The baby's gone, isn't it?"
"It wasn't a baby. Never was. It was always a demon." Connor supplied.
"But it was mine. I loved it."
"I know."
Connor stated it simply, tring to comfort her. "I killed someone. I hurt Fred. My baby's gone. I'm a freakin' murderer."
Angel took Connor's place of comfort. "It wasn't you, Cordelia. It's just like my time as Angelus wasn't me."
"You were a demon with no conscience, Broodboy."
"So were you."
Cordelia continued to cry as Angel pulled her into his arms. She clutched his black, button down shirt, her tears soaking the cloth. Connor knew there was nothing he could do now, except leave the grieving Cordelia with her angel.