AN: Sorry guys for the delay, I've have computer and Internet troubles,
plus I just got back from my holiday. Yet here it is the final chapter,
hope you all like. I've also just about finished a shorter A/C fic which I
should be posting under Angel very soon, so keep 'em peeled. Once again
thanks for the reviews keep them coming!
Chapter 13
Angel was starting to worry. Cordelia said that she would only be gone for an hour at the most, yet two and a half had already passed. He had tried calling her cell phone but there was no answer. A number of scenarios had passed through his mind, they all seemed reasonable enough at first, but then his irrational self kicked in and wanted the driving seat. This was Sunnydale, home of the Hellmouth, all kinds of things were attracted here, what if she had ran into trouble on her way back? What if she hadn't even made it to her house? Right, enough was enough, if he stood her any longer he would have worried himself into and early grave. Lifting Josh from his crib, Angel put his coat and shoes on and grabbing his own jacket and keys, they left the mansion. A light breeze greeted them, and holding Josh close he gently put the baby's hood up, shielding him from the cold, they headed for Cordelia's house.
Cordelia sat in the dark, the light that had been left on in the kitchen when her parents left, did little to comfort her. All she could think about was what her parents had said to her, and not just what they said, but the way they had said it. She knew that they had never much cared for her, but she never knew they could be this heartless. She had stopped crying, angry with herself for wasting any kind of emotions on them, emotions they had never shown her, which only made her cry again. She had heard a distant ringing, but she couldn't escape the trance she now found herself in. She felt a hand on her shoulder as a familiar voice worked its way into her subconscious.
"Cordelia?" Angel called kneeling in front of her, worry cascading across his features.
Staring ahead she finally focused on Angel's face, he smiled a little.
"I thought I'd lost you there, are you okay?"
She shook her head from side to side, and started crying again. Angel pulled her to him and rocked her back and forth.
Ten minutes had passed before Cordelia pulled away. She wiped her eyes with her hands.
"They're selling up." She said sniffling.
Angel had had no idea what had happened, but he could have guessed that it had something to do with her parents, and now he knew he was right.
"They just came back to sign some papers, sort out our stuff for auction, and to kick me out."
Placing his arm around her he spoke.
"You don't have to worry about anything, you and Josh are staying with me."
The baby who had been sleepy on the way over sat amongst cushions playing with Teddy.
Cordelia's face brightened just the slightest.
"Thank you." She said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you." She snuggled a little deeper into his arms, savouring the safety she felt there.
He looked down at her. "You'll always have me, you do know that don't you?"
She looked up. "You'll always have me too."
Staring into each other's eyes, they moved closer. Sliding his hand across her cheek Angel moved closer. Closing her eyes, Cordelia's hand snaked around Angel's neck, closing the gap between them, they kissed. As their passion increased so did the kiss, becoming deeper.
"Cordelia, what is going on here?" the voice bellowed as the light was switched on.
Surprised they separated. In front of them stood Cordelia's father, and behind him stood her mother, eyeing up Angel, she smiled.
"Dada." Josh giggled as he reached out for Teddy.
"Cordelia, you'd better start explaining yourself young lady."
Annoyed she stood up. "I don't have to tell you anything, besides I thought you had gone back to your hotel." She said her voice full of spite.
"This is our house, we can come and go as we please. But if you must know, we got all the way back to the hotel when your mother realised she had left her handbag behind. But luckily we got back here when we did, who knows what we could have walked in on if we had been any later. Now start explaining yourself."
"I already told you, I don't have to explain myself to you."
"Put yourself in our shoes, you return home to find your only daughter making out with some stranger, clearly older than her, with a baby in the corner. Cordelia this isn't the daughter we raised."
"First of all, how dare you? You leave Sunnydale, and me to sun yourself in Hawaii. You didn't even give a damn about me, so don't start parenting me and expect me to comply." She paused and laughed. "You raised me? Living in the same house as me while Rosaria took care of me does not constitute as raising in my book. Take a good look, because this is me, now."
"Cordelia, don't speak to your father like that."
"Don't you start mother, you're both in this together."
Angel just sat still, hoping to cause as little trouble as possible. Cordelia was venting and he wasn't going to stand in her way.
"That 'baby in the corner' is my son. Not biologically but I've been raising him, his mother was killed, I couldn't save her, but I promised to raise Josh as if he were my own. And this 'stranger' is Angel, he's my best friend in the whole world, the only friend I've got and I love him. He's been here for Josh and me, he 'is' my family. He has done more for me than you ever have. You would know all this if you cared enough to call me or God forbid, visit. You want to sell the house, go ahead, I don't need either of you any more, I have my family right here." she said pointing to Angel and Josh. She was panting, she then realised that she had been shouting and crying.
Everyone was silent, until her father spoke.
"Is this true young man?" He asked.
Angel was still reeling from Cordelia's confession. "What?" he asked confused.
"Are you her family?"
Angel stood. "Yes I am, and she and Josh are mine."
"You love her?"
Cordelia looked at him and then the ground.
"With all my soul."
Cordelia looked up, tears shone in her eyes as she smiled, he smiled back.
"Then you'll take care of her." Angel nodded.
Cordelia silently thanked them for doing one good thing for her.
"Goodbye Cordelia, we will miss you, you are our daughter after all." She smiled and hugged them both goodbye, and walked them to the door.
Once they had left she returned slowly to the living room, hands nervously in her pockets, very Joey Potter like. Angel sat with Josh, looking up when she stopped in front of him.
"Hi." he said lamely.
"Hi." she said kneeling in front of him, she looked to Josh who sat waving Teddy about. She smiled.
"Did you really mean what you said?"
"Did you?" he questioned.
She nodded shyly.
"I meant it too." he replied, smiling she pulled him towards her and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Pulling apart they both smiled.
"Welcome to the family, dada."
The end
Chapter 13
Angel was starting to worry. Cordelia said that she would only be gone for an hour at the most, yet two and a half had already passed. He had tried calling her cell phone but there was no answer. A number of scenarios had passed through his mind, they all seemed reasonable enough at first, but then his irrational self kicked in and wanted the driving seat. This was Sunnydale, home of the Hellmouth, all kinds of things were attracted here, what if she had ran into trouble on her way back? What if she hadn't even made it to her house? Right, enough was enough, if he stood her any longer he would have worried himself into and early grave. Lifting Josh from his crib, Angel put his coat and shoes on and grabbing his own jacket and keys, they left the mansion. A light breeze greeted them, and holding Josh close he gently put the baby's hood up, shielding him from the cold, they headed for Cordelia's house.
Cordelia sat in the dark, the light that had been left on in the kitchen when her parents left, did little to comfort her. All she could think about was what her parents had said to her, and not just what they said, but the way they had said it. She knew that they had never much cared for her, but she never knew they could be this heartless. She had stopped crying, angry with herself for wasting any kind of emotions on them, emotions they had never shown her, which only made her cry again. She had heard a distant ringing, but she couldn't escape the trance she now found herself in. She felt a hand on her shoulder as a familiar voice worked its way into her subconscious.
"Cordelia?" Angel called kneeling in front of her, worry cascading across his features.
Staring ahead she finally focused on Angel's face, he smiled a little.
"I thought I'd lost you there, are you okay?"
She shook her head from side to side, and started crying again. Angel pulled her to him and rocked her back and forth.
Ten minutes had passed before Cordelia pulled away. She wiped her eyes with her hands.
"They're selling up." She said sniffling.
Angel had had no idea what had happened, but he could have guessed that it had something to do with her parents, and now he knew he was right.
"They just came back to sign some papers, sort out our stuff for auction, and to kick me out."
Placing his arm around her he spoke.
"You don't have to worry about anything, you and Josh are staying with me."
The baby who had been sleepy on the way over sat amongst cushions playing with Teddy.
Cordelia's face brightened just the slightest.
"Thank you." She said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you." She snuggled a little deeper into his arms, savouring the safety she felt there.
He looked down at her. "You'll always have me, you do know that don't you?"
She looked up. "You'll always have me too."
Staring into each other's eyes, they moved closer. Sliding his hand across her cheek Angel moved closer. Closing her eyes, Cordelia's hand snaked around Angel's neck, closing the gap between them, they kissed. As their passion increased so did the kiss, becoming deeper.
"Cordelia, what is going on here?" the voice bellowed as the light was switched on.
Surprised they separated. In front of them stood Cordelia's father, and behind him stood her mother, eyeing up Angel, she smiled.
"Dada." Josh giggled as he reached out for Teddy.
"Cordelia, you'd better start explaining yourself young lady."
Annoyed she stood up. "I don't have to tell you anything, besides I thought you had gone back to your hotel." She said her voice full of spite.
"This is our house, we can come and go as we please. But if you must know, we got all the way back to the hotel when your mother realised she had left her handbag behind. But luckily we got back here when we did, who knows what we could have walked in on if we had been any later. Now start explaining yourself."
"I already told you, I don't have to explain myself to you."
"Put yourself in our shoes, you return home to find your only daughter making out with some stranger, clearly older than her, with a baby in the corner. Cordelia this isn't the daughter we raised."
"First of all, how dare you? You leave Sunnydale, and me to sun yourself in Hawaii. You didn't even give a damn about me, so don't start parenting me and expect me to comply." She paused and laughed. "You raised me? Living in the same house as me while Rosaria took care of me does not constitute as raising in my book. Take a good look, because this is me, now."
"Cordelia, don't speak to your father like that."
"Don't you start mother, you're both in this together."
Angel just sat still, hoping to cause as little trouble as possible. Cordelia was venting and he wasn't going to stand in her way.
"That 'baby in the corner' is my son. Not biologically but I've been raising him, his mother was killed, I couldn't save her, but I promised to raise Josh as if he were my own. And this 'stranger' is Angel, he's my best friend in the whole world, the only friend I've got and I love him. He's been here for Josh and me, he 'is' my family. He has done more for me than you ever have. You would know all this if you cared enough to call me or God forbid, visit. You want to sell the house, go ahead, I don't need either of you any more, I have my family right here." she said pointing to Angel and Josh. She was panting, she then realised that she had been shouting and crying.
Everyone was silent, until her father spoke.
"Is this true young man?" He asked.
Angel was still reeling from Cordelia's confession. "What?" he asked confused.
"Are you her family?"
Angel stood. "Yes I am, and she and Josh are mine."
"You love her?"
Cordelia looked at him and then the ground.
"With all my soul."
Cordelia looked up, tears shone in her eyes as she smiled, he smiled back.
"Then you'll take care of her." Angel nodded.
Cordelia silently thanked them for doing one good thing for her.
"Goodbye Cordelia, we will miss you, you are our daughter after all." She smiled and hugged them both goodbye, and walked them to the door.
Once they had left she returned slowly to the living room, hands nervously in her pockets, very Joey Potter like. Angel sat with Josh, looking up when she stopped in front of him.
"Hi." he said lamely.
"Hi." she said kneeling in front of him, she looked to Josh who sat waving Teddy about. She smiled.
"Did you really mean what you said?"
"Did you?" he questioned.
She nodded shyly.
"I meant it too." he replied, smiling she pulled him towards her and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Pulling apart they both smiled.
"Welcome to the family, dada."
The end