Very long speech from Cordelia in here, but it's actually the cut down
version! You should see the original!
And I've just realised that big gaps don't actually show up on this site
(which makes it confusing for me to read and I wrote it) so I'm going to
start putting in dividy bits and change the old chapters to save anybody
else confusion
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Eleven
Cordelia reread Wesley's letter. It was over, she could go home. Correction, she had to go home, but that meant leaving here, leaving Draco. She knew it was time to tell him the truth.
"Are you OK?" asked Draco, coming back from another meeting with Dumbledore about battle plans. As Cordelia had expected he and Harry were coming up with most of the ideas.
"We need to talk" said Cordelia.
Draco's face fell, she was being too serious, was she going to dump him? He had never been dumped before, always been the dumper, and he was sure he had started with that line before. All he could say was "OK"
"You see, I um. I haven't been totally honest with you" started Cordelia "I think there's actually just one big thing I've been dishonest to you about anyway"
"What?" This could be promising, it didn't sound like he was getting dumped, unless she was going to say something really bad next.
"Connor, you see, he's not mine"
Wasn't expecting that one "Huh?"
"He's not my son. I'm not his mother. He's not mine. His mother is dead"
"So, he's like adopted?"
"Not exactly" she took a breath, this was it, all or nothing, she picked all and started talking. "You see Angel/Liam but really it's Angel. Remember him? Good guy generally did I mention he was a vampire?"
"No"
"Oh, well he is, Ok him and this other vamp, Darla are Connors parents. It's meant to be impossible but vampires with souls aren't that common either. So the point is, Darla staked herself to give birth to Connor. Now for the confusing bit. My friend Wes found a prophecy that said Angel would kill Connor, so he took him away. Connor was taken away from him by some bad guy and brought up in a hell dimension. Then suddenly they appear no that much later with Connor fully grown and hating Angel. He tried to kill him and I became a higher being. A whole load of bad stuff then happened and my body is back while I'm still watching life from the clouds. So I start wishing I could change things and next thing I know I wake up a year or two in the past. I decided to change things, took Connor and promised to take him back when I knew it was safe" She took a breath "I just talked a lot" she stated. And it hadn't been that hard either. Once she got started it just all came out like she had been dying to tell him for ages.
"OK, so why are you suddenly telling me now?" he asked
"Well the bad guy that was the real threat is dead; Wesley known the prophecy is a dud. I think I can take Connor home safely now"
"So you're leaving?"
"I have to take Connor back to Angel"
"Are you planning to come back?" he asked. Not sure what answer he really wanted.
Cordelia looked at him but his face was unreadable and he wouldn't look her in the eyes. His tone worried though. He had put too much emphasis on the word 'planning', like she could only plan it, not do it.
"Do you want me to come back?" she asked quietly.
Now he looked her in the eye and she didn't like what she saw. It wasn't the anger in her face that she cared about; it was the betrayed look, the hurt. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked sarcastically "I mean you've only lied to me since day one. You've only had a hundred perfect opportunities to tell me, and a million that are still better than now. Of course I want you to come back" he stormed from the room.
--------------
Harry found Draco half way through a bottle or fire whisky by the Quidditch Pitch. "Pre battle nerves?" he asked
"What?"
"You're drinking, just wondering if its pre battle nerves"
"Oh right, the battle, yeah". The battle in question was the following day. It had been brought forward almost a week, because they had a traitor amongst them. They had finally worked out who this was; he had not been arrested yet because that would alert the opposition. He just wasn't being informed of the change of plans.
"What's up?" asked Harry, realising it was nothing to do with the battle. He took the bottle from Draco and took a swig; he did have pre battle nerves although he wasn't sure a hangover was the best way to fight a powerful dark wizard.
"Cordelia's leaving" he told him, taking the bottle back.
"What? Why? I thought you two were the real thing"
"So did I" he said sadly, "But I don't think she did"
"Did she say that?" he took the bottle again.
"This is very much more about what she didn't say". He took the bottle back again.
Harry tried to take the bottle again, but wasn't expecting how tightly Draco would be gripping it this time. He tried to pull it off him while he spoke "So what didn't she say?"
"She forgot to mention she's like from the future or something freaky like that. She forgot to mention that Connor isn't her baby. He's the son of two vampires, she kidnapped for his protection or something."
"So why's she leaving?"
"Because she has to take Connor home"
"Oh" Harry was confused. "Don't get me wrong, but surely not having the baby around would make it a little easier?"
Draco gave him a look that made Harry wonder where the stuck up Slytherin prince had gone, and how this real man had taken his place. The look wasn't the sneer he would have got a few years ago; it was desperate, raw pain. "I thought the baby was part of the package. I made myself accept him because I wanted Cordelia. Then before I knew it I was planning a life for the three of us. I was willing to be a bloody dad to him"
"Oh" was all Harry could say. He stopped wrestling for the whisky. Draco needed it more. "So when she's taken Connor home, is she staying there?"
"She asked if I wanted her to come back, and I said no"
"But you do don't you?"
"I don't know. She lied to me and actually made me want to play daddy, but on the other hand I'm completely in love with her"
"Draco go to Cordelia" Ordered Harry "Tell her how you feel and work it out yourselves"
"Why?"
"A few reasons, one of them being tomorrow. Don't leave it like this. Also you're in love with her, she should have trusted you but she was trying to protect an innocent baby, she's caring and despite the way she acts sometimes she's all heart. That's why you love her, that's why you're going to get up of your drunken arse and go to her. Got it?"
"When'd you get so bossy?" asked Draco standing up. "You've been hanging around my girlfriend too much"
--------------
"Cordelia?" called out Draco as he reached their rooms. She wasn't in the bedroom or the living room area. He checked the bathroom even though he knew she wasn't there. He went to the chest of drawers and opened hers, they were empty. All Connor's stuff was gone and so was Connor. Draco fell to the floor where he was. She was gone, and there was no time to go after her, he knew her ultimate destination but not how she was getting there. He would never find her in time to get back tomorrow. He had never even got around to telling her the change of plans, he could die in the battle tomorrow and the last thing he would have said to her would pretty much be 'leave'.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In reply to reviews,
Gidge: I'm pretty sure when ever Cordelia says it she's PTBs not PTB. I could be wrong but PTB doesn't sound right anyway. Snape thing, you're probably right but I was totally stuck on this chapter so I had to fill it a bit. The Angelus bit, I know but I had written the rough version of that speech before I realised where I had gotten it from so I thought I'd just write that. If you want an explanation just assume Angel tried to explain his actions to Cordelia at some point
Village Mystic- Sorry one chapter to go (well actually I'm thinking of doing two versions of the last chapter). The translation thing-Huh?
Groovy giraffe-Shut up Elle
Keep reviewing. Except Elle who hasn't even had the decency to read the damn fic yet, Bitch! (Lets see if she notices I called her that)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Eleven
Cordelia reread Wesley's letter. It was over, she could go home. Correction, she had to go home, but that meant leaving here, leaving Draco. She knew it was time to tell him the truth.
"Are you OK?" asked Draco, coming back from another meeting with Dumbledore about battle plans. As Cordelia had expected he and Harry were coming up with most of the ideas.
"We need to talk" said Cordelia.
Draco's face fell, she was being too serious, was she going to dump him? He had never been dumped before, always been the dumper, and he was sure he had started with that line before. All he could say was "OK"
"You see, I um. I haven't been totally honest with you" started Cordelia "I think there's actually just one big thing I've been dishonest to you about anyway"
"What?" This could be promising, it didn't sound like he was getting dumped, unless she was going to say something really bad next.
"Connor, you see, he's not mine"
Wasn't expecting that one "Huh?"
"He's not my son. I'm not his mother. He's not mine. His mother is dead"
"So, he's like adopted?"
"Not exactly" she took a breath, this was it, all or nothing, she picked all and started talking. "You see Angel/Liam but really it's Angel. Remember him? Good guy generally did I mention he was a vampire?"
"No"
"Oh, well he is, Ok him and this other vamp, Darla are Connors parents. It's meant to be impossible but vampires with souls aren't that common either. So the point is, Darla staked herself to give birth to Connor. Now for the confusing bit. My friend Wes found a prophecy that said Angel would kill Connor, so he took him away. Connor was taken away from him by some bad guy and brought up in a hell dimension. Then suddenly they appear no that much later with Connor fully grown and hating Angel. He tried to kill him and I became a higher being. A whole load of bad stuff then happened and my body is back while I'm still watching life from the clouds. So I start wishing I could change things and next thing I know I wake up a year or two in the past. I decided to change things, took Connor and promised to take him back when I knew it was safe" She took a breath "I just talked a lot" she stated. And it hadn't been that hard either. Once she got started it just all came out like she had been dying to tell him for ages.
"OK, so why are you suddenly telling me now?" he asked
"Well the bad guy that was the real threat is dead; Wesley known the prophecy is a dud. I think I can take Connor home safely now"
"So you're leaving?"
"I have to take Connor back to Angel"
"Are you planning to come back?" he asked. Not sure what answer he really wanted.
Cordelia looked at him but his face was unreadable and he wouldn't look her in the eyes. His tone worried though. He had put too much emphasis on the word 'planning', like she could only plan it, not do it.
"Do you want me to come back?" she asked quietly.
Now he looked her in the eye and she didn't like what she saw. It wasn't the anger in her face that she cared about; it was the betrayed look, the hurt. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked sarcastically "I mean you've only lied to me since day one. You've only had a hundred perfect opportunities to tell me, and a million that are still better than now. Of course I want you to come back" he stormed from the room.
--------------
Harry found Draco half way through a bottle or fire whisky by the Quidditch Pitch. "Pre battle nerves?" he asked
"What?"
"You're drinking, just wondering if its pre battle nerves"
"Oh right, the battle, yeah". The battle in question was the following day. It had been brought forward almost a week, because they had a traitor amongst them. They had finally worked out who this was; he had not been arrested yet because that would alert the opposition. He just wasn't being informed of the change of plans.
"What's up?" asked Harry, realising it was nothing to do with the battle. He took the bottle from Draco and took a swig; he did have pre battle nerves although he wasn't sure a hangover was the best way to fight a powerful dark wizard.
"Cordelia's leaving" he told him, taking the bottle back.
"What? Why? I thought you two were the real thing"
"So did I" he said sadly, "But I don't think she did"
"Did she say that?" he took the bottle again.
"This is very much more about what she didn't say". He took the bottle back again.
Harry tried to take the bottle again, but wasn't expecting how tightly Draco would be gripping it this time. He tried to pull it off him while he spoke "So what didn't she say?"
"She forgot to mention she's like from the future or something freaky like that. She forgot to mention that Connor isn't her baby. He's the son of two vampires, she kidnapped for his protection or something."
"So why's she leaving?"
"Because she has to take Connor home"
"Oh" Harry was confused. "Don't get me wrong, but surely not having the baby around would make it a little easier?"
Draco gave him a look that made Harry wonder where the stuck up Slytherin prince had gone, and how this real man had taken his place. The look wasn't the sneer he would have got a few years ago; it was desperate, raw pain. "I thought the baby was part of the package. I made myself accept him because I wanted Cordelia. Then before I knew it I was planning a life for the three of us. I was willing to be a bloody dad to him"
"Oh" was all Harry could say. He stopped wrestling for the whisky. Draco needed it more. "So when she's taken Connor home, is she staying there?"
"She asked if I wanted her to come back, and I said no"
"But you do don't you?"
"I don't know. She lied to me and actually made me want to play daddy, but on the other hand I'm completely in love with her"
"Draco go to Cordelia" Ordered Harry "Tell her how you feel and work it out yourselves"
"Why?"
"A few reasons, one of them being tomorrow. Don't leave it like this. Also you're in love with her, she should have trusted you but she was trying to protect an innocent baby, she's caring and despite the way she acts sometimes she's all heart. That's why you love her, that's why you're going to get up of your drunken arse and go to her. Got it?"
"When'd you get so bossy?" asked Draco standing up. "You've been hanging around my girlfriend too much"
--------------
"Cordelia?" called out Draco as he reached their rooms. She wasn't in the bedroom or the living room area. He checked the bathroom even though he knew she wasn't there. He went to the chest of drawers and opened hers, they were empty. All Connor's stuff was gone and so was Connor. Draco fell to the floor where he was. She was gone, and there was no time to go after her, he knew her ultimate destination but not how she was getting there. He would never find her in time to get back tomorrow. He had never even got around to telling her the change of plans, he could die in the battle tomorrow and the last thing he would have said to her would pretty much be 'leave'.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In reply to reviews,
Gidge: I'm pretty sure when ever Cordelia says it she's PTBs not PTB. I could be wrong but PTB doesn't sound right anyway. Snape thing, you're probably right but I was totally stuck on this chapter so I had to fill it a bit. The Angelus bit, I know but I had written the rough version of that speech before I realised where I had gotten it from so I thought I'd just write that. If you want an explanation just assume Angel tried to explain his actions to Cordelia at some point
Village Mystic- Sorry one chapter to go (well actually I'm thinking of doing two versions of the last chapter). The translation thing-Huh?
Groovy giraffe-Shut up Elle
Keep reviewing. Except Elle who hasn't even had the decency to read the damn fic yet, Bitch! (Lets see if she notices I called her that)