Cordelia, the 2004 Cordelia, felt like she was floating. She floated for a long time before it felt like she woke up. And she was sitting at her desk, staring at a picture that she thought she had lost. A picture of herself and Doyle. And tears welled in her eyes. She hadn't stopped him from getting killed. Everything was the same as she'd left it.

Angel poked his head in the door. "We still on for tonight?" he asked, and she nodded without looking up at him.

"Yeah, we're still on." She said, standing up and heading out to the coffeepot. She passed Gunn and Fred on the way and sent up a prayer of thanks that her actions in the past hadn't affected their lives adversely. And then she started to notice things. He hair wasn't blonde. It was its natural dark brown. And it was longer that she'd had it before. She looked around and didn't see Connor anywhere. When she looked at a business card, his name wasn't on it. But it was replaced with another name. Alan Francis Doyle. She then noticed the most important thing of all. On her hand; her left hand; her ring finger. A ring. A gold band with Celtic knots engraved on it, with a diamond in the middle. An engagement ring.

Cordelia took a deep breath and held it. She was engaged. But to whom? She had no memory of the past five years the second time around. Only what she had gone through the first time. Was it possible that she had succeeded? That Doyle was still alive, and that she was engaged to him? It was an amazing thought. One she desperately wanted to have proven correct. That was then she heard that familiar, loved, Irish lilt.

"Hey Angel, you seen my fiancee?"

She heard Angel laugh. "In the lobby. I think she went to get coffee. I think she's starting to get nervous about going to see her parents tonight with us."

"If her parents are like what I've heard they are, I'd be nervous too. She said they're becoming more and more like they were before they lost their fortune now that her Dad is making good money again."

"I'd say they are."

Doyle walked into the room and found Cordelia, as Angel had said, she was filling a cup with coffee that had drastically improved in five years. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, and when she turned around, he knew something was different.

"What's wrong?" he asked, tucking a thick strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Do you remember the time traveling I did about this time in a different reality?"

"Yeah. The other you saved my life. How could I forget?"

"I think I am the other me. I remember everything from the last time around."

Doyle took a deep breath. "And what about from this time around?"

"I remember all of that too." Cordelia said honestly, because when she had looked into his eyes, felt his arms around her, her memories had come back. "It was like I suddenly woke up and had all these memories. I think it's because today is the day I would have gone back in time."

"Makes since if you think about it." Doyle said thoughtfully. "But it doesn't change anything. You're still my 'Delia, and that's all that matters. I don't care if you do remember last time."

"This time is so much better, Doyle. You can't even begin to imagine how much better it is now. Alanna is still alive, and Angel never slept with Darla, and he's Shanshued already."

"And Alanna died the first time?"

"Yeah. Right when we met Gunn. I will miss Connor though. He played important parts in a lot of things."

"Who's Connor?"

"He was Angel and Darla's son. Do you remember when Wolfram and Hart brought her back about four years ago and Angel nearly went psycho?"

"Yes."

"Well last time he ended up in bed with Darla and she got pregnant with Connor. Had to stake herself for him to live. He was kidnapped by an evil man named Holtz and taken to Pylea, where we found Fred. He grew up there, and came back to kill Angel. After Angel convinced him that he wasn't the one who needed to be killed, Connor started working with us."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad. I can see where you would miss him."

"Not so much. He fell in love with me and we slept together and I got pregnant. And had this evil demon child."

"I think I remember you telling me about that when you traveled back in time."

Cordelia nestled into his arms. "Enough about my first life. It's fading already anyway. Sort of like it was a dream. I want to concentrate on this one. Getting married to you, living my entire life with you."

Doyle chuckled and kissed her softly. "I like the sound of that." He said, letting her go. Even after five years of being together, she still didn't like to be held on to too much. She was a very independent woman, and she would never admit that she liked to be held and coddled, even though they both knew she did. But Cordelia surprised him by moving back into his arms for a long hug. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you." She whispered, letting the last of her memories of her past life slip out of her mind. The only thing she knew was that she had time traveled and that the version of her that had done the time traveling was back where she belonged as well.

"And you know I love you, darlin'." Doyle said just as softly. He pulled back and kissed her quickly. "But we need to get back to work. We have to leave so you can get ready to go meet your parents in two hours, and we have to work on the Lawson case."

"Right. Unfaithful husband who just needs his ass kicked good."

"That would be the one."

Cordelia dressed to the teeth for the meeting with her parents. She was introducing them to her fiancé, only two months before the wedding they were paying for. She had to look impressive. Especially since they were going to their house for a small dinner party. That meant even more people to impress.

She wore a black dress that went in an A-line shape from high on one thigh to just above the other knee. That was acceptable for almost anything. Black was the typical dinner party color, and she knew that she would fit right in. After that thought, she yanked the dress over her head and threw it on her bed.

"Okay," Doyle said from where he was tying a tie, "I thought that looked good."

"It did, but everyone is going to be wearing the little black dress tonight. I feel like being different. You know, be an individual." She said, pulling on a baby blue silk dress that hugged her curves and flared a little at the knee to give it a bit of bounce. It was strapless, and definitely different.

"That looks good too. I think you should go with that one."

Cordelia flashed him a grin over her shoulder. "I didn't ask for your opinion." She teased lightly, plaiting her hair into a French- twist that looked remarkably elegant for having taken two minutes. Then she did her make up; light and tasteful. Just powder eyeliner, blush, mascara and lip gloss.
"How do I look?"

Doyle sighed and crossed the room to tie his tie in the mirror. He'd tried doing it without a mirror, but hadn't had any luck. It didn't help that he didn't wear one very often at all. "Beautiful. Like you always do." He assured his anxious fiancee, who tied the tie for him after he tried three more times and couldn't get it right.
"Are you ready to go?" Cordelia asked, picking up her coat and purse.

"Yes. I think so, anyway. Am I forgetting anything?"

Cordelia tossed his the suit jacket. Since they had been together, his wardrobe had improved by leaps and bounds. She was responsible for most of the improvement, having bought him clothes for every occasion they had celebrated, down to her birthday and Angel's birthday and Shanshu day. And five years later, he was very presentable. However, he still could not knot a tie to save his life.

"Well, let's go then. We're supposed to pick up Angel in ten minutes and meet Buffy, Willow and Xander in Sunnydale in two hours."

They arrived at the Chase mansion in a little over two and a half hours, at seven thirty. After having gotten out of a jail sentence, Mark Chase, Cordelia's father had worked as an attorney for a small amount of time, then begun investing all his money into stocks. Five years later, they were almost as wealthy as they had been before they had gotten busted for tax fraud. That fact alone made Cordelia nervous. She knew all too well how her parents could be.

"Ready?" Angel asked gently, wrapping a brotherly arm around Cordelia. Buffy had her arm linked through his other arm, and Cordelia held Doyle's hand on her other side. Xander and Willow walked slightly behind them.

"As I'll ever be. I haven't seen my parents in almost a year. Not since I told them I was getting married. And they weren't exactly happy at that news. I think they were hoping I'd grow out of the LA, private detective phase. They had quite a shock when I didn't move back in with them when they bought the new house."

Buffy looked over at Cordelia. "It'll be okay, Cor. We've all handled your parents before. Well, except for Doyle and Angel."

"Angel's handled them." Doyle corrected.

"When I was in Sunnydale a few years ago. Cordelia came for a visit, got attacked by vampires, and I came down to do some slaying. It was while you were dead." He added when Buffy looked at Cordelia strangely.

"Besides, no one knew I was here other that Angel, Doyle and my parents."

Cordelia knocked on the door, and shrugged Angel's arm off simultaneously. A tall man who resembled Cordelia, and a striking woman, who looked almost identical to his fiancee opened the door. Her parents. Doyle took a deep breath.

"Cordelia." Alexia Chase said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "And Buffy, Angel, Xander and Willow." She greeted each of Cordelia's friends quickly before turning to Doyle. "And you must be Alan."

"Please, call me Doyle. No one uses my first name."

"All right then. Please, come in."

Mark Chase hugged his daughter tightly, greeted both Willow and Buffy in much the same way. He shook Angel and Xander's hands, then he, too, turned to Doyle. "I'll admit," he said, clapping the younger man on the back, "that I had nightmares of who my little girl was going to be bringing home, but you seem normal enough."

Cordelia grinned brightly and took Doyle's hand, helping him escape from her father. "So, who's here?"

Alexia was off and naming people. "The Carter's and the Kendall's, and your father's partners, I'm sure you remember them, and the new ones, the Brody's and the Finch's. And of course, my reading group, and your father's golf club. And everyone from the country club."

Cordelia rolled her eyes at Buffy. The normal people. Everybody with an important last name within a hundred mile radius. But, Cordelia couldn't complain. Her parents were paying for the enormous wedding she'd only dreamed of. Everyone she'd graduated with was invited, plus all her relatives, Doyle's family, including his ex-wife Harry; she'd surprised the hell out of him by inviting her, her parents friends and business associates.

Doyle leaned over to talk to Cordelia. "Am I supposed to know who all these people are?"

"Nope. I don't even know half of them. Just grit your teeth and smile. That's what I've done for over two decades. Trust me, they won't know you don't have a clue what they're talking about."

Doyle did just that and was surprised to note that it worked perfectly. And all in all, a night spent with the love of his life wasn't a bad night at all. No matter where it was at.

That's all for this chapter. Prolly five more, maybe. I think that'll be it for this story. Feedback is, as always, appreciated. Thanks for reading.