Disclaimer: I don't own anything and you know it! I will make claims to Lexia, she's mine. Don't take her from me, or I'll cyber-kick your ass! Thank you come again!
Title: A True End
Summary: Sequel to Friendly Reflection. Lexia and Connor fight to stay together against the apocalypse. As if Connor had never hooked up with Cordy in Rain of Fire.
Rating: I'ma make it R for fun!
Chapter 12:
Lexia watched in shock as Cordelia continued down the steps, rubbing her large belly. She looked at Connor who came up to Cordelia smiling shyly. Lexia looked away covering her mouth with her hand.
"I know it's a bit of a shock," Cordelia was saying. "I mean, nobody's more shocked than me." She looked at Connor. "OK, maybe him."
There was another beat of silence as everyone stared at her. Lexia's heart seemed to have stopped beating in her chest. Air couldn't seem to get to her lungs. She also thought she might spew al over Cordelia's slutty maternity clothes.
"Um, sorry to be so..." Fred finally said. "But I'm, like you said, kinda shocked."
Lexia looked over at Angel who looked like she felt. He sat down on the couch and looked down at his hands. With that Lexia backed out of the lobby but nobody noticed. Then she headed upstairs to her room. After she packed all her stuff she was gone.
Connor watched Lexia leave. He was the only one who seemed to notice. He'd seen the look on her face and felt his heart flip over. No, he told himself. Don't let her make you feel guilty. She doesn't know what it's like.
"Yeah, 'cause hasn't it only been like..." Gunn was saying. "Definitely shocked."
"I haven't been hiding," Cordelia told them. "Or ashamed, or anything... It's just with the Beast and his psycho master, and then Faith and Willow and all that dramarama, not to mention--"
"Angelus," Angel broke in finally speaking.
Cordelia looked at him strangely as she spoke. "Everything's just been so Clash of the Titans around here. I didn't wanna be a distraction."
Just then Lorne walked in from the garden entrance and stopped when he saw Cordelia. "Wha...? Put me on the short bus, and send me off to clueless school. A mystical pregnancy right under my beak and not even a tingle. Huh."
"How long have you known?" Wesley asked.
"Some time after we brought forth Angelus," Cordelia said.
"That's a couple of weeks," Gunn pointed out. "Looks more like eight months."
"The last time Cordelia was impregnated, she came to term overnight," Wesley told them.
"That was a crawly evil demon thing," Cordelia argued. "This is different."
"Still," Fred broke in. "Shouldn't we try and find out...what's in there?"
"We already know," Connor told them having heard enough. "Our baby."
"Well, congratulations," Gunn said to Angel. "You're gonna have a grandspawn."
"You don't know what it's like," Connor spit back. "How scary it is. I'm gonna have a child, and all you can do is joke 'cause you don't like me," Connor said then turned to Cordelia. "We shouldn't have told 'em."
With that Connor also left the lobby, going upstairs. How could they all just make jokes? Didn't any of them care how he felt? How confused he was? Especially after trying to kill Angel... How could Cordy have been wrong?
Lexia sniffled as she threw some clothes into her bag. Then she turned to the dresser again, pulled open a drawer and ended up pulling it right out of the dresser. It clunked to the floor and she sighed exasperated. She bent down and swept all of her clothes out of it then crammed them into her bag.
Then she stopped and plopped down on the bed next to her bag. She covered her face with her hands and sighed. I don't even know what to do, Lexia thought.
Just then somebody knocked on her door. Lexia quickly wiped away her tears and sucked in her breath. "Yeah?"
Angel opened the door, peering in. He saw her face and he frowned then came completely in the room.
"How are you?" he asked.
Lexia snorted. "I've been better."
"Yeah, me too." He looked at her stuffed bag and nearly torn apart dresser. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah. I thought since you're fully functioning Angel again that you guys don't need me. I figured it was time to mosey on."
"I know things seem tough now-," Angel began.
"I can't stand seeing them anymore," Lexia cut in. "I thought I could make up with Connor but now... It's over. So I should go and let them be."
"Lexia I will need you're help. That thing inside Cordelia is evil."
Lexia looked up at Angel in surprise. "You really think that about your grandchild? I mean, you don't really know that."
"I do," he insisted. "Besides what I figured out about Cordelia."
Angel sat down next to her in the same position. He looked troubled, yet determined all at once. Lexia was confused though. What was there to figure out about Cor... Oh my god, she thought as it all clicked in her brain.
Then Angel began describing his plan.
Connor sat in Cordelia's room alone, in the dark, thinking. He was going over what the gang had said in his head, their thoughts, expressions... Like Lexia's when she saw Cordelia, he thought.
That wasn't what was really bothering him though. What was really getting to him was the fact that he had almost killed Angel. He had almost killed his father because Cordelia told him to. Why did I even listen?, Connor wondered.
Then Cordelia came in and shut the door behind her. "I've been looking all over for you," she told him. "Connor, what they said...you can't let it bother you."
Connor shook his head. "I don't care what they say."
"Really?" Cordelia commented. "Is that why you retreated to the Fortress of Solitude?"
"It doesn't make sense," he said standing to face her.
"Freaking out over pregnancy's pretty much the M.O. with the gang around here."
"Not them. You. All that stuff you said about Angelus. And Willow...she--she didn't open a gate to evil. She put back Angel's soul," Connor rambled. "I almost killed him."
"But you didn't," she pointed out. "Angel's back. Everything worked out. Everything happens for a reason, even if it doesn't always seem that way."
"How can you say that?"
"Think about it. You sinking Angel to the bottom of the ocean. Getting kicked out of the house. Then coming back and us getting kidnapped by the Beast..." Connor thought of the moment when Angel and Lexia opened the door and the look on their faces. "All of those moments and a million others led to this miracle."
"But sending me down to the basement. I had the stake," Connor told her stepping closer. "What was the reason for that?"
"I thought our baby was in danger, and all my instincts told me that killing Angelus was the only way to protect it," Cordelia explained.
"But you were wrong," he said sighing and sitting down.
Cordelia walked over to him and knelt in front of him, grasping his hands in hers. "What's important is that when I needed help, you were there for me. Now I know I can trust you. Completely. No matter what. See? Everything happens for a reason."
She smiled at Connor and stood. He thought about what she said and realized it was right. Little moments changed everything and you shouldn't second guess it. Then everything should work out for the best. Right?
"Connor, before our baby comes, I might ask you to do some things...for us," Cordelia told him holding up a baby outfit and folding it. "And I want you to remember, there's always a reason."
"I'll remember," he promised.
Lexia headed down stairs her bag swinging and hitting her in the hip. She noticed the gang in Angel's office watching him do something. She decided if she could just kind of sneak out it would be best. Angel already knew what she was doing and that was all that mattered. She stopped a moment and looked back seeing the gang all hunched over Angel's desk. Then she quietly opened the garden door and stepped out.
She went down the right side of the stairway and met Lorne on the way down. "Hey peaches," Lorne greeted using the nickname he had decided to give her. "You're not sneaking out on us are ya?"
"No," she answered giving him a little smile. "Angel knows I'm going. I just felt it was time for me to go on home. Do my own thing for a while."
"Oh that's too bad," Lorne commented. "You won't be able to see the new reading able me."
"Oh you fixed yourself?" Lexia asked.
"Not quite. I've got to do this whole ritual thing," he told her holding up a cloak. "Coz this just ain't my style."
"I would think not. Well, I see ya guys around."
They hugged and Lexia continued down the stairs. She headed for the gate but before she could leave Connor came around the corner, arms crossed.
"What?" she asked exasperated.
"You're just leaving because of what I said to you," he told her.
"So? Isn't it what you wanted?"
Connor opened his mouth to talk but didn't seem to know what to say. He dropped his arms and shook his head turning away from her. "I don't know what I want."
Lexia snorted and moved around him. "Join the club."
"What?" Connor asked touching her arm to stop her.
"You act like you're the only person on earth that doesn't know what to do," Lexia exclaimed flinging a hand out. "And sorry to surprise you, you're not any different from anyone else. Everyone feels that way in some point in their life. It's human nature."
"It's not the same. Our circumstances are different," he insisted.
"Oh, because a teenage boy got a girl pregnant. Yeah, that never happens in this country."
"Not one that grows at a rapid rate and no one knows what it really is!" Connor exclaimed.
"It's your baby. Remember?" Lexia asked then turned and walked briskly away. She had to get away from Connor and the rest of them before she went crazy. Besides, she had to prepare.
Lorne entered the darken warehouse and paused by the door giving the dusty space a once over.
"Oh fudgcicle," he said frowning.
He pulled out a flashlight and continued inside to a table where he began setting up candles and lit them. Then he put some kind of orb with a cloth over it on the table, herbs, and the other magickal like. Lorne didn't notice that above him, on the catwalk Cordelia watched him. Luckily she didn't notice Lexia watching her from higher up on some steel beams.
Cordelia began sneaking toward the stairs and Lexia followed silently, slinking along the beam. She noticed Cordelia pull out a dagger from the folds of her shaw and vaguely wondered where she got it. Cordelia continued down the stairs moving surprisingly quietly for someone in high heels. Lexia looked over towards the door and felt rather than saw Angel's presence there.
When Cordelia had made it about halfway down the stairs Lexia jumped to another beam, closer to the cat walk. Wrapping her legs around the beam, she let herself hang upside down from it grabbing the railing of the catwalk. She released the beam and slowly stood on the catwalk as to not make any noise. Lexia looked down and saw Cordelia advancing on Lorne who was ooing and awing to some chant. Lexia pulled out the steel shackles from her jacket pocket that Angel had wanted her to use. She also had a tranq gun tucked into the back of her belt.
As Lorne continued on with his ritual Cordelia inched closer to him. Lexia headed down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. When she reached the bottom Cordelia was directly behind Lorne and raising her arm to stab him. That's when somebody hit the lights. Cordelia looked up then spun around only to come face to face with Angel.
"Angel..." She said then moved to flee the opposite way only to have Wesley and Fred there pointing tanq guns at her. She turned around to see Lexia who smiled at her and swung the shackles she had smugly.
Lorne turned to Cordelia removing the cloth from the orb he had revealing it was only a Magic 8 Ball. He shook it and asked, "has Cordy been a bad, bad girl?"
"All this time it was you, wasn't it?" Angel demanded
"Took you long enough to figure it out but nice turn with the Lorne bait," Cordelia told him. "You know, there was a time I would've seen that one coming eons before it ever crossed your tiny little mind."
"Because you're so clever."
"On the scale of you to me, pretty damn," Cordelia quipped.
"Until now," he told her.
"All good things," she commented with a sigh. "So, what finally tipped off the great detective?"
"Tongue, slip of. You called the baby 'my sweet.' Same phrase the Beastmaster kept using when he was whispering in Angelus's head. Thought it was a bit femme for the booming macho act."
"That's it?" Cordelia demanded. "I get away with bringing the world down around you and two eentsy words tingle your spider sense?"
" What we already knew," Wesley informed. "What he found out as Angelus. All the circumstantial led to you."
"Plus that skanky outfit," Lexia threw in for her own benefit.
"Just needed to be sure," Angel finished.
"Little late to the table, but I might have a few scraps left," Cordelia told them.
"Why are you doing this, Cordy?" Fred asked her.
"This thing isn't Cordelia," Angel told Fred.
Cordelia smiled and shook her head. "Is that what you think, hero?"
"She would never hurt her friends like this."
Ok... Lexia thought. Enough of the chit chat.
"Or maybe you just don't know me very well," Cordelia told him.
Angel walked up to Cordelia and got in her face. "I don't want to know you."
Cordelia raised her hand to pull the knife on Angel but he grabbed her wrist then her neck. He squeezed choking her.
"Where's Cordelia?" he demanded through gritted teeth.
Just then the skylight crashed in as Connor jumped through it.
Connor crashed through the glass skylight as he saw Angel choke Cordelia. He landed near them and Angel reached a hand out to him.
"Connor, wait!" Angel said. "Cordy's not what you think."
Ignoring him, Connor grabbed his arm, pulled then pushed knocking Angel into Wesley. Lorne raised a tranq gun at him and shot, but missed. Connor turned and kicked him in the head knocking him out. Fred took aim next but Connor grabbed her arms and redirected the dart toward Angel when he tried to stand. He turned to see Lexia about to shoot him but Cordelia pushed her causing her to miss.
"Ya know what?" Lexia said to her but didn't finish. She punched Cordelia across the face knocking her to the ground.
Angry Connor charged toward Lexia who swung the shackles she had up hitting him in the nose. Connor reacted and punched her across the face as she had Cordelia. Lexia's head whipped back around and she looked at him in shock. Ignoring the sinking feeling that hitting her had given him he grabbed the lapels of her jacket and hefted her off her feet. Then he heaved her away as hard as he could cause her to hit the floor hard and slid right into a pillar. She cried out in pain but stayed down clutching her side.
Connor reached for Cordelia's hand. "Come on!"
Cordelia took his hand and he turned to run. They passed Angel who was on his knees struggling against the affect of the tranquilizers. Connor looked back to see Cordelia smirking at Angel as they ran out.
After running what seemed like a 100 meter marathon Connor led Cordelia to another abandoned warehouse. Cordelia entered looking around and rubbing her belly. Connor looked out the door making sure no one saw them then shut it.
" Are you sure Angel won't be able to follow us?" Cordelia asked when he turned to her.
"I was careful," Connor promised.
"How careful?"
"Why were they trying to hurt you?" he asked.
"You know why," Cordelia told him stepping closer to him. "They're afraid of you, of me, what our love has created. They were gonna kill it and me if you hadn't come."
"I didn't know where you were. I thought something bad might've happened. Followed your scent," Connor lied. He'd been following Lexia. He hadn't really believed she was going back to her place. "But, I never thought... How could he do that?"
"Because he hates you. I didn't wanna believe it, but he does. "He hates you for being with me. He can't stand the fact that he lost, that he'll never know the feel of my touch or the warmth of my lips," Cordelia told him touching his cheek and kissing him lightly. "You were right about Angel. He's an animal, and he's turned everyone against us."
She hugged him and Connor wrapped his arms around her. Lexia's shocked look when he'd hit her came to his mind but he pushed it away. She'd hit him too, and was trying to kill and innocent baby so she wasn't any better. The fact that she and the rest of the gang lied to him filled him with anger. Connor didn't need them anyway. He had a family.
"I'll kill them all before I let them hurt you," Connor whispered in her ear.
"My sweet, sweet boy," Cordelia said leaning back to look up at him.