AN: Thanks for the reviews, keep em coming.
Chapter 3
The next day Cordelia had to go to the mall to pick up some provisions for Josh, however it was a Saturday, and there not being an awful lot of town in Sunnydale, the mall was the place to be. Which meant that she was likely to run into any number of people from school, and if they were to see her with a baby, there would be no doubt that they would start to ask questions. Her appearance at the mall could be easily explained, if she were to run into the Scoobies they would think nothing of it. However Harmony would be a different story.
It had been a long night, and Josh hadn't slept well, but under the circumstances it was believable, from what Cordelia could tell he was only a few months old. Add that to the death of his mother and she was surprised that he slept at all. He had cried during the night and she had stayed with him right through, rocking him back to sleep when he woke, yet she had a feeling that he was starting to get use to her. This was going to be tougher than she thought, but she would make it work, she had promised.
"Think, think." She said to herself as she walked around the kitchen, Josh in her arms.
"There has to be a way for us to get to the mall and not be noticed." Josh just stared up at her.
"No ideas huh?" she said as she looked down at him, and that's when it came to her.
"Of course." She said as she picked up her bag. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before." And with that they made their way out the front door.
Cordelia stood outside the large solid door that prevented even the smallest amount of sunlight to pierce through. At home, this had seemed like a great idea, but now that she was here, Cordelia was having second thoughts.
"Well, I guess the worst that could happen is that he says no." she said as she took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
Nothing happening for a few minutes, and she was about to turn away when the door opened, revealing a dark passage that led into the mansion.
Sighing she cautiously stepped inside, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. The door behind her closed and she jumped.
"Hey."
"Argh!" she yelled, as Angel stepped out from behind the door.
"It's just me. Sorry." He said as he walked closer.
"Lurk much?" she asked. Then remembering that Angel knew everything and that she didn't have to carry on the charade, she apologised.
"I'm sorry Angel, I didn't mean."
"Hey don't worry about it." For a moment they stood in silence.
"So, ah, what can I do for you? You're not here to hit me up for babysitting are you?" he joked.
She said nothing. Realizing that she had made a mistake, she made her way to the door.
"Hey I was just kidding."
She turned to face him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I need to go shopping for Josh, I have nothing back at the house for him, and I thought that there would just be too many questions if I took him with me."
"So you came here." It was more of a statement than a question.
"It's just after what you said last night, I thought that maybe you could look after him while I'm gone. But forget about, I'll sort something else out."
"I'll take care of him, I don't have much experience with the whole baby thing, but it can't be that hard, right?"
Cordelia handed the baby over.
"You're the best." She said planting a quick kiss on his cheek as she made her way to the door.
"It's not that hard right?" he said a little louder, but Cordelia was already out the door.
Angel looked down at the baby.
"I guess it's just you and me then huh. We can do this." He said smiling, Josh took it as his cue to start crying.
Looking around the empty building Angel sighed. "I hope she gets back before you need a change."
Cordelia had spent the morning hiding behind clothes rails, dodging Harmony and her friends. She had yet to make up a plausible excuse for why she wasn't currently in the middle of her facial and why she was carrying bags full of baby food and accessories. She was just shopping for the basics; she could always call on Angel to baby-sit again, that was of course, if she returned to the mansion to find them both in one piece. She had just finished paying for a crib and one or the store clerks was carrying it to her car. She had managed to dodge everyone so far; she was in the home stretch. It was then that she heard her name.
"Cordelia, maxing out daddy's credit card again?" Xander said, stopping in front of her.
Caught off guard, she regained her balance and switched to bitch mode.
"Jealous?" she asked.
"Yeah, right, what would I want with.." He paused glancing at one of the bags. "Baby clothes?" he asked puzzled.
"They're for my cousin, if you must know, not that it's any of your business anyway."
"Wow sharing with others, that's not the Cordelia we all know and put up with."
"Save it Xander." She said as she shut the trunk and climbed in her car. "I've got better things to do than to hang around here, trading insults with you." She started the engine and pulled out of the car park, leaving a stunned Xander behind.
The morning hadn't gotten off to the best of starts. As soon as Cordelia had left, Josh had started to cry. Angel was starting to run out of ideas, he'd grown up with a little sister and he was racking his brain to remember what had worked on her. He tried walking around, rocking the baby gently. He'd tried burping him, which was a fun experience to say the least; they didn't have any food or clean diapers, so those options were out. He was about to give up hope, when he noticed his book on the table. He took a seat on the couch and reached for the book. Holding Josh in one arm, he held the book with the other.
"Okay, let's see if you like 18th centaury novelists."
He opened the book with ease, the spine cracked, the pages falling open where the book had been read repeatedly.
Angel took a deep breath and read the first sentence. To his surprise, Josh's crying had eased. Smiling triumphantly, he read the next paragraph, and as before Josh had calmed until his crying had subsided. Knowing the words like the back of his hand, he glanced from the book to the baby as he continued to read. Josh's big brown eyes stared up at him in wonder, and for the first time that morning, he was truly glad that Cordelia had turned to him for help.
Pulling her car up outside of the mansion, Cordelia grabbed her bag and headed inside. She quietly pushed the door open, only enough for her to slip inside, keeping the harmful rays outside. She could hear Angel's voice drifting through from the next room. She tiptoed around the corner, and glanced around the edge of the wall.
Angel sat, his back to her, on the couch in front of a roaring fire, his head was slightly bowed and she noticed he was reading from a book. She stood in silence as she listened to his voice reciting the words from paper.
Angel continued to read oblivious to Cordelia's presence. Josh sat in his arm almost asleep. Stepping away from the wall, she walked quietly towards them, and took a seat on the couch.
He looked up, careful not to disturb Josh, he whispered.
"Hey, did you get everything?"
"Yeah, well as much as I can get at the moment anyway." She glanced over at Josh. "Everything go okay?"
Angel smiled. "Everything was fine." Looking down at the baby, he thought to himself. 'We won't mention the whole crying thing.'
Resting her head back on the couch, she suppressed a yawn. It had been a busy morning. She closed her eyes and listened to Angel's soft voice as he resumed reading.
TBC
Chapter 3
The next day Cordelia had to go to the mall to pick up some provisions for Josh, however it was a Saturday, and there not being an awful lot of town in Sunnydale, the mall was the place to be. Which meant that she was likely to run into any number of people from school, and if they were to see her with a baby, there would be no doubt that they would start to ask questions. Her appearance at the mall could be easily explained, if she were to run into the Scoobies they would think nothing of it. However Harmony would be a different story.
It had been a long night, and Josh hadn't slept well, but under the circumstances it was believable, from what Cordelia could tell he was only a few months old. Add that to the death of his mother and she was surprised that he slept at all. He had cried during the night and she had stayed with him right through, rocking him back to sleep when he woke, yet she had a feeling that he was starting to get use to her. This was going to be tougher than she thought, but she would make it work, she had promised.
"Think, think." She said to herself as she walked around the kitchen, Josh in her arms.
"There has to be a way for us to get to the mall and not be noticed." Josh just stared up at her.
"No ideas huh?" she said as she looked down at him, and that's when it came to her.
"Of course." She said as she picked up her bag. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before." And with that they made their way out the front door.
Cordelia stood outside the large solid door that prevented even the smallest amount of sunlight to pierce through. At home, this had seemed like a great idea, but now that she was here, Cordelia was having second thoughts.
"Well, I guess the worst that could happen is that he says no." she said as she took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
Nothing happening for a few minutes, and she was about to turn away when the door opened, revealing a dark passage that led into the mansion.
Sighing she cautiously stepped inside, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. The door behind her closed and she jumped.
"Hey."
"Argh!" she yelled, as Angel stepped out from behind the door.
"It's just me. Sorry." He said as he walked closer.
"Lurk much?" she asked. Then remembering that Angel knew everything and that she didn't have to carry on the charade, she apologised.
"I'm sorry Angel, I didn't mean."
"Hey don't worry about it." For a moment they stood in silence.
"So, ah, what can I do for you? You're not here to hit me up for babysitting are you?" he joked.
She said nothing. Realizing that she had made a mistake, she made her way to the door.
"Hey I was just kidding."
She turned to face him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I need to go shopping for Josh, I have nothing back at the house for him, and I thought that there would just be too many questions if I took him with me."
"So you came here." It was more of a statement than a question.
"It's just after what you said last night, I thought that maybe you could look after him while I'm gone. But forget about, I'll sort something else out."
"I'll take care of him, I don't have much experience with the whole baby thing, but it can't be that hard, right?"
Cordelia handed the baby over.
"You're the best." She said planting a quick kiss on his cheek as she made her way to the door.
"It's not that hard right?" he said a little louder, but Cordelia was already out the door.
Angel looked down at the baby.
"I guess it's just you and me then huh. We can do this." He said smiling, Josh took it as his cue to start crying.
Looking around the empty building Angel sighed. "I hope she gets back before you need a change."
Cordelia had spent the morning hiding behind clothes rails, dodging Harmony and her friends. She had yet to make up a plausible excuse for why she wasn't currently in the middle of her facial and why she was carrying bags full of baby food and accessories. She was just shopping for the basics; she could always call on Angel to baby-sit again, that was of course, if she returned to the mansion to find them both in one piece. She had just finished paying for a crib and one or the store clerks was carrying it to her car. She had managed to dodge everyone so far; she was in the home stretch. It was then that she heard her name.
"Cordelia, maxing out daddy's credit card again?" Xander said, stopping in front of her.
Caught off guard, she regained her balance and switched to bitch mode.
"Jealous?" she asked.
"Yeah, right, what would I want with.." He paused glancing at one of the bags. "Baby clothes?" he asked puzzled.
"They're for my cousin, if you must know, not that it's any of your business anyway."
"Wow sharing with others, that's not the Cordelia we all know and put up with."
"Save it Xander." She said as she shut the trunk and climbed in her car. "I've got better things to do than to hang around here, trading insults with you." She started the engine and pulled out of the car park, leaving a stunned Xander behind.
The morning hadn't gotten off to the best of starts. As soon as Cordelia had left, Josh had started to cry. Angel was starting to run out of ideas, he'd grown up with a little sister and he was racking his brain to remember what had worked on her. He tried walking around, rocking the baby gently. He'd tried burping him, which was a fun experience to say the least; they didn't have any food or clean diapers, so those options were out. He was about to give up hope, when he noticed his book on the table. He took a seat on the couch and reached for the book. Holding Josh in one arm, he held the book with the other.
"Okay, let's see if you like 18th centaury novelists."
He opened the book with ease, the spine cracked, the pages falling open where the book had been read repeatedly.
Angel took a deep breath and read the first sentence. To his surprise, Josh's crying had eased. Smiling triumphantly, he read the next paragraph, and as before Josh had calmed until his crying had subsided. Knowing the words like the back of his hand, he glanced from the book to the baby as he continued to read. Josh's big brown eyes stared up at him in wonder, and for the first time that morning, he was truly glad that Cordelia had turned to him for help.
Pulling her car up outside of the mansion, Cordelia grabbed her bag and headed inside. She quietly pushed the door open, only enough for her to slip inside, keeping the harmful rays outside. She could hear Angel's voice drifting through from the next room. She tiptoed around the corner, and glanced around the edge of the wall.
Angel sat, his back to her, on the couch in front of a roaring fire, his head was slightly bowed and she noticed he was reading from a book. She stood in silence as she listened to his voice reciting the words from paper.
Angel continued to read oblivious to Cordelia's presence. Josh sat in his arm almost asleep. Stepping away from the wall, she walked quietly towards them, and took a seat on the couch.
He looked up, careful not to disturb Josh, he whispered.
"Hey, did you get everything?"
"Yeah, well as much as I can get at the moment anyway." She glanced over at Josh. "Everything go okay?"
Angel smiled. "Everything was fine." Looking down at the baby, he thought to himself. 'We won't mention the whole crying thing.'
Resting her head back on the couch, she suppressed a yawn. It had been a busy morning. She closed her eyes and listened to Angel's soft voice as he resumed reading.
TBC