Title: Family: Heartache in LA

Author: victoriamartynne

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Spoilers: None, I think!

Summary: Sequel to Family: Back to Sunnydale, Family: Forward to LA, Family: Return to Sunnydale, Family: On to LA and Family: Wedding in LA. In the aftermath of Cordelia and Angel's wedding, their happiness is ruined by one man from Angel's past determined to ruin their lives forever.

She went back down the hall to Angel who was sat up in bed waiting for her. She climbed back in next to him and rested her head on his stomach.

"I don't think Ash is too impressed about having to get up this early but Connor was already awake when I went in. He wants to spend the day with us here and I told him we'd take him out tonight when Ash gets home, is that okay? You didn't have plans?"

"No." He smiled and kissed her head. "That sounds perfect."

"Good, I was thinking maybe we could take them to the pier, Ash likes it there and I'm sure Connor's never seen anything like it."

"That sounds like fun."

"Really?"

"Honey, as long as we're together we could be doing anything and I'd be happy."

"Good to hear." A voice replied from the corner.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Angel growled.

Skip smiled. "You always do that, whereas the lovely Miss Chase here always hits me. Just to clarify things I'm not here to tell you you're going to die, just to protect myself."

She smirked, remembering both times she'd hit him thinking he was telling her she was dying, which he was one of the times.

"So what are you here for?" Angel demanded.

"To give you a choice." Skip replied cryptically. "A chance to change your lives."

"What kind of choice?" Cordelia asked, intrigued.

"A chance to change history, to give yourselves the happiness you have now back then."

"I don't get you." Cordelia told him, confused.

"I'm sorry, what if I gave you the chance to go back in time? To change history? I can create it so that, by the powers bidding, you can go back to the day Connor was kidnapped so you can protect him and keep him with you. He would never have to experience the things he did whilst in that hell dimension. He could grow up happy and loved with you two and his sister."

"What's the catch?" Angel asked.

Skip smiled. "You're smart. The destiny that has been chosen for Ashleigh is that she grows up completely human. The destiny chosen for Connor is that he becomes a warrior. In order to change the order of events, the powers insist that Ashleigh sacrifice part of her humanity and inherit Cordelia's powers and become a seer for another warrior, already on his path. Connor, therefore, will stay completely human and live normally with you until his eighteenth birthday where he will have the choice of being a warrior for the powers."

"Why do the powers want this to happen?" Cordelia asked.

"There are more warriors than there are seers, Ashleigh would be more useful to them."

"So, Ash would have to trade part of her humanity in order for Connor to live normally?" Cordelia clarified.

Skip nodded.

"We'd have to ask her." Angel told him.

Skip shook his head. "You can't do that; the decision must be made on your own."

"That's not fair." Cordelia argued. "We can't choose our daughter's life, whether or not she has powers."

"If it helps you can tell her after you've made the decision and before your decision is put into action, Connor too, if you want."

She shook her head. "I can't make that kind of decision without talking it over with her. She'd be sacrificing part of her humanity; I can't choose that for her."

"You have to choose." Skip replied simply. "I'll give you half an hour, have you got any chips?"

"Downstairs." Angel replied, wearily running a hand over his eyes.

Cordelia sat down on the bed hard. "What do we do Angel, for the first time in years I'm completely lost."

He put his arm around her. "We just have to think. What would Ash do?"

"She'd want to give Connor back his childhood." Cordelia responded automatically, not thinking about what she was saying.

"Then we do that." Angel decided.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"Look, we don't have time to go over and over this. You know her better than anyone in the whole world, if you say that's what she would do then that's what she'd do."

Cordelia nodded. "I guess so, but what if I'm wrong?"

"I trust you."

"I'm glad someone does."

"We can help her as she grows up, to manage her powers and to help the greater good."

"She has always said she wants to levitate like I do." Cordelia supposed. "Maybe she'll get that chance."

"You can still levitate?"

"Sometimes it feels like I'm flying." Cordelia admitted.

"Okay kids, the curiosity's killing me!" Skip interrupted, coming into the room. "What're you going to do?"

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to interrupt?" Cordelia asked angrily, taking out her anxieties on him.

"Touché." Skip responded. "Well?"

"We want to turn back time." Angel told him. "That's our decision."

Skip nodded. "You have two minutes before it is done."

Cordelia jumped up and took of down the hall, Angel's robe flowing behind her.

"Ash?" Cordelia shouted when she neared her room.

She poked her head around the bathroom door. "What? Is there a fire or something?"

"Sit down and listen to me, we don't have long." Cordelia ordered, as Angel joined them with Connor. "Your father and I have just been offered the chance to change history. To enable Connor to grow up with us, instead of the hell dimension."

"Wow!" Ash exclaimed. "How cool is that?"

Connor nodded. "I guess so."

"The only condition is, you would have to receive powers in the future, you would become a seer, like I used to be and part demon, like I am."

"You're part demon?"

"Not the point right now, honey." Cordelia urged. "What would you want us to do?"

"Change time, obviously! Connor would get to grow up with us, and I'd get to levitate! What did you decide? Have you decided?"

Ash was stunned as her mother hugged her fiercely. "Thank God you said that."

"You chose right!" She exclaimed, hugging Cordelia back.

"Are you happy with our choice?" Angel asked Connor.

He nodded, looking truly happy, and loved. "When does it happen?"

"It happens now." Skip replied and clicked his fingers.

Cordelia and Angel both gasped as their memories of the future entered their past bodies.

Everyone turned to look at them.

"Cordy, are you okay?" Faith asked.

She nodded, not saying anything.

A man came into the hotel. "I need you help!"

Cordelia's eyes spun to Angel's. "Angel."

"I know, go to Connor." He told her and went to the man.

Cordelia went into the office and stood in the doorway, protecting Connor and Ashleigh.

Everyone was looking at them like they'd lost their minds.

Angel dragged the man outside and on cue Holtz entered the hotel and crept to the office.

He didn't count on Cordelia waiting for him. With a high kick she sent him flying backwards. "Not going to work this time!"

He looked at her from the floor, stunned. "What..?"

She dragged him to his feet and punched him.

"I sense major evil." Lorne informed them, sitting back in his chair and sipping his wine as if Cordelia wasn't pulling the hell out of a human in front of their eyes.

"Cor, what are you doing?" Buffy asked, standing up from the table.

"I know what I'm doing!" She told Buffy, knocking Holtz to the floor again.

Spike caught a look at his face. "Pet, sit back down, human or not, he deserves a kicking."

"You know him?" She asked.

"Vampire hunter turned bad, hunting Angelus and me across half of Europe 'cause Angelus butchered his family." Spike told her. "Him being here now isn't going to end well."

"I see that." Faith commented as Cordelia brought out a stake and shoved it through Holtz's beating heart.

Angel came into the hotel again, blood on his hands. He came running to Cordelia and caught her in his arms.

"It's over." She gasped. "They're safe."

"Did we miss something?" Fred asked everyone, who all were staring at Angel and Cordelia.

"I think perhaps we did." Wes decided. "Wine anyone?"

The End