Chapter 19 "This is as Good as it Gets" -----for now----
Angel had turned over in his sleep during the night and reached for Cordelia. When his hand didn't find her he sat up and looked for her. The doors to the balcony were open. He could hear her crying again. He got out of bed and walked over to her. "Cordy. Are you alright?" He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them.
"It all came back to me again Angel and I can't get it out of my mind. I keep waking up." "Well we have two methods that we can use to help you sleep. We could have some in house activities down in the basement. You haven't worked out in a long time. Or... we could...stay right here." He started to kiss her shoulder and neck. Cordelia jumped up. "Okay you've convinced me. Let's go down into the basement." She smiled at him as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She went into the room to put some sweat pants on and a sleeveless blouse. Angel dressed in sweat pants also and a tee shirt and followed her downstairs. They loosened up with some Tai Chi then spent the next 45 minutes practicing fighting moves. By the time they were done Cordelia was exhausted. Angel didn't want to admit it but he was hurting too. He grabbed a couple of towels from the stack that was on top of the table that they used for folding clothes. He threw her one so she could wipe the sweat from her face and shoulders. "I'm going to go and take a shower." Cordy said as she walked up the stairs. Angel followed her upstairs and turned off the lights as he closed the door behind him.
When they got upstairs Cordy went into the bathroom and closed the door. After awhile he heard the toilet flush and then the shower start. Angel opened the door to the bathroom and took his clothes off and went into the shower to join her. He found Cordelia just standing under the shower and letting the hot water run over her sore muscles. Angel took the bottle of shampoo and started to shampoo her hair. She hadn't cut it ever since he asked her to let it grow long. They were both hurting so they just bathed and crawled into bed.
"Do you think you can sleep now?" Angel asked Cordelia. When he didn't receive an answer he looked down at her. She was already sleeping. Her heart had already slowed down and she was in a deep sleep. Angel closed his eyes. All of the hotel was quiet now. Everyone was done for the night with their tests. That thought made Angel think back to when he had to go through it. He smiled to himself then went to sleep.
They woke up at 10 a.m. the next morning. Angel could hear Wesley and Buffy talking about something in the kitchen. All of the rest were in the dining room. Including Mr. Morgan and his wife. Bobby and Tina were just coming downstairs.
Angel gave Cordelia a light kiss. She reached up and pulled him into a passionate lingering kiss. Her hands ran over his body. She touched his back and ran her fingers over his right shoulder where she knew the tattoo was. She was getting turned on just touching it. She didn't have to see it, just knowing it was there was enough. Angel ran his hands over her shoulders and neck. Then he stopped and pushed her back. We had better get up Cordy. Your ripe right now. I think we had better skip at least one month before we try to get pregnant again don't you think?
Cordelia surprised him by jumping up and straddling him. "No I want you now. I want you to make wild and passionate love to me." "Cordy, that's the hormones talking besides we have guests downstairs." He picked her up and put her on the floor while he sat up and put his legs over the side of the bed. She continued to pursue him by leaning into him and putting his head against her chest. "Cordy stop it now. I don't want to do anything until I hear it from Dr. Martin that it's okay for you to get pregnant." "Don't you remember when I told you that I was pregnant that she said, and I quote "There is no reason why Cordelia can't get pregnant right away," unquote." "Yeah that's true she did say that. But let's wait until tonight. There are to many people here that can hear us." Cordelia straightened up and said "Okay but you better count on going to bed early tonight." Cordy got up and dressed and Angel did the same after shaving. As they walked down the hallway she said "I don't think I've ever been so hot before. All I can think about is having sex with you." She stopped and turned to him. "I want it Angel and I want it now. If I don't get to have sex right now I am going to have a melt down. I guess this is why some women are almost constantly pregnant. I've heard that most women are very fertile right after they've had a baby. Even though I didn't give birth I am still feeling hot." Cordelia pulled Angel into the bedroom and started to rip his clothes off as soon as he closed the door.
"Well I guess I just can't fight it anymore and I have to perform my husbandly duty and service my mate." Angel started to take Cordelia's clothes off of her. Whenever they could reach each other their lips met for a second before taking the next article of clothing off. They didn't even make it to the bed, they just sank to the floor. Angel started to make love to her but she turned over and went down on her knees and hands and Angel took her from behind. As he climaxed she bent forward so that her face was almost on the floor. When he was done they both fell to the floor. "Wow that was hot and fast. Now I know why Spike and Buffy like it so much." Angel said as his heart continued to slow down. "Why did you want to have sex that way?" "What way?" "You know, bent over and me coming from behind. Then when I came you bent over so that your head was practically on the floor." Cordy turned over on her back. "I've read that the best position for the woman to get into when she wants a son is to do what I did. Did you know that the only time the male is weaker then a female is when it's a sperm? So in order to have a boy the woman has to be in a position that will make it easier for the male producing sperm to get to the woman's egg. She rolled over to him and started kissing him. "Tonight well see if we can make a little girl also." "Why not now. I am ready if you are." She lowered her hand so that she could get him going again. He responded immediately to her touch. Thirty minutes later they were headed downstairs. When they got to the dining room every ones eyes were on them.
"I guess it's our turn for everyone to make jokes about." Angel said.
He looked around the table and didn't see Dr. Martin. He went into the kitchen and made his own glass of blood. He asked Cordelia to make him 2 soft boiled eggs and a couple of slices of toast. He poured her a cup of coffee and took both drinks into the dinning room. A couple of minutes later Cordelia came in with their plates. Dr. Martin came downstairs at the same time. "Good morning everyone." They all answered with a good morning. Dr. Martin went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and 2 scrambled eggs then took them into the dinning room. She noticed that they had left her chair empty and Mr. Morgan and Marissa had taken the chairs on her right. Bobby and his cousin were on her right also. Connor had already left earlier and Gunn had left to check on his crew.
They let her eat her breakfast before asking her anything. Cordelia and Angel finished theirs also. Angel went to get another glass of blood. Before going back to the kitchen he asked Cordelia if she wanted anymore coffee. She gave him her coffee cup and when Angel turned she gave him a whack on his behind and said. "Hurry it up boy." He turned around again. He slowly put the two cups down and stood over her and put his hands on the table on either side of her. Slowly and softly he said "What was that you said sweetheart?" Cordelia looked at Buffy and couldn't help laughing. "Nothing sugar plum. I am sorry I hit you, my hand slipped when I was trying to sit up straight in the chair." "I could of sworn that I heard you say something about me hurrying up." "Oh no, I would never say that. All I said was, I hope Gunn hurry's up with checking on his boys so he could help me go shopping." "Oh, I could have sworn you had said something else." Angel stood up slowly and picked up the two cups, turned around and left.
"Phew, that was close." Cordelia was fanning herself with her napkin. Buffy cracked up. "He used to make me feel the same way. When he was in Sunnydale I knew I could probably whip his ass, but he always made me cower when I tried something like that. Angel just has power that comes out of every pore. He just commands respect from everyone. Now that he is a Master Vampire I don't think I could take him in a fight."
Angel came back in with Cordelia's coffee and his cup of warmed blood. "Here you are my dear. I hope it rises to your expectations." "Oh it always does that. Even if it doesn't I know how to make it fit my needs." Tina's face turned bright red as she listened to the conversation. Bobby just kept his head down and played with his food. Mr. Morgan spoke up when he saw how uncomfortable they were.
"Can you tell us what our results were Dr. Martin? I wouldn't be asking now except that I have some meetings to attend to and we are anxious to hear the news."
Dr. Martin pulled out two envelopes. One was marked for Mr. Morgan and the other was marked for Bobby. "Mr. Morgan I have to ask you how long have you and Marissa been together?" "About 6 years." "So you and Marissa have been having sex for the last 6 years?" Marissa and Morgan were having a problem with this line of questioning in front of everyone.
"Mr. and Mrs. Morgan would you prefer that we have this talk in Angels office? You seem to be uncomfortable having these questions put to you in front of everyone. Just to put you at ease I want to tell you that Angel, Cordelia, Buffy and Spike have all made my findings known to everyone. These findings will be kept here and they will go no further unless you want them to."
Mr. Morgan looked at his wife. He put his hand on hers. "What do you want to do?" Marissa looked at his hands on hers. She squeezed his hand and smiled and looked at Dr. Martin. "Yes we have been having sex for 6 years." "Angel and Spike said that they can smell when a women is ready for sex and can conceive. Can you tell me Mr. Morgan if you can also?" Dr. Martin asked. I don't know if I can. I might smell something but don't associate it with a woman's ability to conceive." "How long have you been a Vampire Mr. Morgan." "150 years." "What about you Bobby, can you tell when a woman is putting out this scent?" Dr. Martin asked. "No. I've only been a Vampire for about 100 years and I haven't been with any one woman before where I would notice it."
"Angel and Spike can you think of any odor that you can equate the odor in question." Spike and Angel looked at each other.
"Remember Buffy that one time that we went to a cemetery in Sunnydale and I asked you if you knew what kind of a flower was on the grave of Bob Johnson?" Spike asked Buffy. "Yes I said it was a gardenia." "Yes that was it. Have you ever smelled a gardenia Morgan?" "I don't even know what a gardenia is." Morgan said. "Don't you have one of those here Cordelia?" "Yes it's in the very corner of the back garden. It has white flowers." Spike went out to the back garden and went to the very corner of the garden where the gardenia plant was growing. He picked one and took it back in and went to Angel. "This is it isn't it? Just a lot lighter." Spike asked Angel. Angel smelled it. "Yes that's exactly it." Spike then took a couple of petals off and gave them to Bobby and took the rest of the flower to Morgan. Morgan put it to his nose and smelled it. "Now think about it. Have you ever smelled that before?" Morgan smiled. "Yes I have but I just thought it was some kind of popular perfume the women were wearing." Spike went back to his chair.
"Go ahead Mr. Morgan and Bobby open up your envelopes." Dr. Martin said. They both opened up their envelopes and read them. Morgan showed it to his wife and they hugged each other. Bobby just had a big grin on his face.
"Both Bobby and Mr. Morgan produce a normal amount of sperm for men their supposed ages. Bobby once you have yourself a wife or at least someone that will agree to have your baby then you should have no problem getting them pregnant." "Thank you Dr. Martin, thank you." "By the way Bobby I wanted to ask you why did you introduce Tina as your cousin instead of your niece?" "I guess it's just a habit." He said. "People don't ask questions if you say you're a cousin. Tina's ancestor was my older sister and I was the youngest. I had 12 sisters that were all older then me. By the time I was born my sister had already had her daughter and her daughter was in her teens."
"Mr. Morgan and Marissa, I was asking all of the questions because usually a couple should be able to get pregnant by the time they have been together for 6 years. I take it that you were under the impression that you couldn't have children so you didn't take any precautions. So what I am thinking is that you might have a problem Marissa. I am going to give you the phone number and address of a friend of mine that is a gynecologist. His name is Dr. Thompson. He is going to be taking care of Cordelia and occasionally see Buffy once her and Spike decide to have children. When Cordelia was rapped I took her to Dr. Thompson and we took care of her there. Dr. Thompson knows all about the special circumstances surrounding our little family here. I will be keeping in touch with him to discuss your case. I am Cordelia and Angels family physician so I know a lot about them. Spike here has taught me a lot of what I needed to know about the physical make up or peculiarities of vampires and so forth. Also Spike here went to medical school before he was turned and has kept up on modern medicine and I have been giving him hands on training. When the young Vampire tortured Angel and crucified him Spike got a lot of experience. If you should need any help Mr. Morgan I am sure that you can call on Spike to help you. If he doesn't know what to do than he can call me. I am sure that a man like you must have many enemies. I know that you know that I am a psychiatrist also. I will be leaving soon to go back home so call me if there is anything you want to talk about." Dr. Martin gave them her card with Dr. Thompsons name and office phone number on the back.
"I want to thank you for everything that you have done for us Dr. Martin. Angel and Cordelia, I know that I can never make it up to you for what happened. Why you have given us so much in return I don't know. What astonishes me is that it was made plain to you who I was and yet it hasn't deterred you from giving me so much. I hope that one day we can be friends and that one day you can put what I caused to happen behind you. Angel I have been told by my people that they have and are continuing to make every effort to make sure that everyone knows that the contract has been revoked and that I will go after anyone that tries collecting on that revoked contract." Mr. Morgan's chauffeur had arrived so he stood up and Marissa did also. Marissa went to Dr. Martin and hugged her. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us. I promise that I will call Dr. Thompson and make an appointment as soon as possible." She then went to Angel. Angel stood up and pushed his chair back. Marissa approached him and made a deep curtsy. She took his hand and kissed it. "Thank you Angel. Last night was the best. Thank you and good by. Cordelia thank you for putting us up for the night." Marissa returned to her husband and they turned to leave. "Morgan." Angel yelled. Morgan turned. "How did it go last night?" Morgan immediately had a big grin on his face and held up his hands and gave two thumbs up.
Bobby took Tina's hand and went to Dr. Martin and extended his hand to her. "Thank you Dr. Martin for everything. Angel thank you. If you should ever need any help please call me. You can reach me through Mr. Morgan. If you should need any help in protecting your wife please call me. Thank you again. Bobby took Tina's hand and started to leave. At the last minute Tina let go of Bobby's hand and looked at Angel. "Angel." When he looked up at her she gave him a thumbs up and had a big grin on her face also. They all laughed at the normally quiet young woman.
When they all sat down again and settled down Wesley spoke up. "Buffy." "Yeah Wesley." "Buffy I think I remember Xander saying that he was in construction. Is that correct.?" "Sure does, why, do you need something done here." They all knew what was coming next. "Yeah we need to make a couple of entrances inside of the hotel a little bigger. It seems that Angels head has just swollen to twice it's usual size. I think it's going to take some time before it goes back to it's regular size." Buffy had to get her digs in also and this was the perfect time. She got up from the table and turned to Angel. She gave a deep curtsy just like Marissa did. "May I have your permission to leave the table my lord." Angel answered by extending his hand. Buffy took it and kissed it. She left by walking backwards. The rest, except for Dr. Martin and Cordelia, got up and followed her example.
"I am going to go and take a nap since I was up most of the night. So I will see you later."
"Hey Wesley." Cordelia yelled. "Yes Cordelia." "I need you to take me grocery shopping." "Okay, let me know when your ready."
Cordelia looked at Angel "I am going to be gone for a while so I will be taking Buffy and probably Fred to. Tell Gunn to call me on my cell phone. We might need his truck to help carry the groceries." She gave him a kiss and went to get Buffy and Fred. They all left and Angel was alone.
Angel went to his office and closed the door. He looked up Willows number and called her.
"Hello Willow this is Angel." "Hi Angel is everthing okay? Is Buffy alright?" "Yes, yes Buffy and Spike are fine. I was calling to ask a favor of you." "Sure Angel anything you need just let me know." "Willow I need for you to give a Vampire his soul back." "Angel you don't have to explain. Buffy called me last night. She guessed at what you wanted to do and told me about everything that has happened to you and Cordelia since the rest of us left. All I can say is that you're a much better person than I am. You understand that Giles and I figured out what all of the words mean and I have taken out the Perfect Happiness Clause." "That's good Willow I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not even Morgan." "When do you want me to do it?" "Today if possible. I promised him the gift would come today." What's his name Angel?" "His name is David William Morgan." "Thank you Willow, I owe you one." "Nothing is owed Angel, this is just a partial payback for all that you've done for us. It will only take a few minutes for me to set up and it should hit him around 1 p.m.." "Thank you Willow. Good bye." "Good bye Angel." He hung up the phone and went up to his room.
Shortly after Angel went to his room Dr. Martin came downstairs to use Cordelia's computer. She logged onto the internet and to an airline. She looked for First Class tickets to New Hampshire. The closest flight she could get was in 2 nights. It had all that she wanted. The flight was in the evening and first class. She was also looking for an evening flight so that Angel could come to see her off. She booked the flight and paid for it with her card. The ticket would be at the counter when she arrived for the flight. Now all she had to do was break the news to Angel and set up the card game for tonight. She would call Mother Superior tonight to let her know when she was coming in and what flight. She went back to her room to get some rest. It was going to be a long night tonight.
When Cordelia, Buffy, Fred and Wesley got back everyone came downstairs to help bring the groceries in. For the number of people that they had at the hotel recently the grocery bill ran close to a $1,000 every two weeks and that didn't take in the cost of Angel and Spikes blood from the butcher. Cordelia usually went to the warehouse stores such as BJ's. She needed to go there because of the amount of dry goods that she didn't like buying more than once each month. It wasn't much of a savings but it was better then purchasing single packages. Everyone could then come down to the basement to stock their own bathrooms. Cases of cleanser came in handy when you had 6 or 7 bathrooms to keep clean. When they moved into the hotel Cordelia had made it clear that each person was responsible for their own bathrooms and cleaning their own rooms. So that made for a lot of cleansers, sponges, furniture polish, paper towels, toilet paper and everything else. Most of the supplies were kept downstairs in the basement on a wire rack so most of the groceries stopped right there. Most of the can goods stayed down here also. They kept a large freezer in the basement also that was full of different types of meat. Cordelia kept several containers of blood for Angel in the refrigerator in the kitchen and several in their refrigerator upstairs. His blood was the only thing that had to be purchased at least once every other day. He wanted the blood to be as fresh as possible. It was the only thing he insisted on. If you were to walk into the basement from the outside entrance to the basement you would have thought that you had walked into a small store. It took a considerable amount of time to put it all away if only one person was doing it. No one dared tried sneaking out while the groceries were being put away. Even Gunn and Connor showed up just in time to help with the groceries. Queen C showed her high school colors if you tried getting out of it.
It was 5 p.m. by the time they were through with everything so Cordelia made just hamburgers for everyone. When dinner was ready Fred went upstairs to get Dr. Martin. She had to knock several times on the door before she got an answer. "Dr. Martin dinner is ready if you want to come down." "Okay Fred thank you. I'll be down in a few minutes." "Okay." Fred answered and then left.
Fred went back downstairs and joined the others. Everyone was just sitting down when Dr. Martin came down. They all dug in and enjoyed their meal in quiet for awhile. Dr. Martin was the first to say anything. She thought it would be best to lay it on Angel now instead of dragging it out until the last minute.
"Angel, I will be leaving tomorrow night. My reservations are for tomorrow night at 8 p.m.."
Dr. Martin looked at Angel and Cordelia. Angel just hung his head down and swirled the blood around in his glass. Then he put it down and looked up at her.
"Since this is your last night is their anything special you would like to do tonight?"
"I am glad you asked that my dear boy. I do have something I want to do tonight." When she was sure she had every ones attention she said "I want to stay in tonight and play poker."
They were all surprised at that. "Never in a million years would I guess that you would want to do that. I thought you would want to go to Disney or something like that." Angel said. "That will be fun. We can all play." Cordelia said. "What are we going to play for? Money or just chips." Fred asked. "Well Fred I want to play poker a little different then what you are all used to and I doubt it if you have ever heard of it. My husband and these friends of ours that we went through our internship and residency with would get together on the rare occasions that we were all off at the same time. Because of the way this game is played I am going to ask that you not play with us Connor. It's nothing against you it's just that I would feel more comfortable if you were not their. Angel why don't you give Connor a couple hundred dollars to take his girlfriend out for the evening.
"Girlfriend, I didn't know you had a girlfriend." Angel said.
"Well Dad you have been kind of tied up with everything that has been going on here. You know like being crucified, getting married having your legs broken that kind of stuff." Connor said with a grin.
"Yeah I guess I have. Bring her around sometime Connor or maybe Cordy and I can go out to dinner with you two." Angel said. All he could think of his boy was seeing someone that he didn't know.
"Dad I just met her, she doesn't know anything about me or you or what we really do here. Let's just see how this relationship comes along first before okay. But I will, reluctantly, but willingly, take the $200."
"Okay. Sorry, I got a little excited." Angel reached into his pocket and took out a roll of bills and peeled off 10 $20 bills. Here you go." Angel held up the money. Connor came over and got the money.
"By the way, how come Dr. Martin knew about your girlfriend and I didn't?"
"Last night I came home with Lisa to get something and Dr. Martin was in the big kitchen. I saw the light on in there so I went in there to check it out. I hope you don't mind that I introduced you as my grandmother Dr. Martin." "No Connor, in a way I am." Dr. Martin said. Then she looked to Angel to explain.
"Connor I love Dr. Martin a lot. She has been like a mother to me. I know you will understand what I am saying because you lost your mother when you were born. Then Holtz didn't raise you around a woman that could be a mother to you. My mother, your real grandmother, died when I was only 12 years old. When Dr. Martin came to help me I found the love in her that I missed so badly when I was growing up. She has given me a new life. It's almost as if she gave birth to me. I had always been told that when a human is turned that they die. She came out of the blue and proved to me that I was alive and I had never died. She has helped me to separate myself from Angelus and she has helped me to understand that I am not the one that killed my family but that it was Angelus. Even though Dr. Martin is a nun now she was married before. She lost her husband and son in a car accident. For her I have come to fill an empty space in heart and she has filled an empty space in mine. I guess you could say it was a mutual adoption. In Cordy, you, and I, she now has a family again and I have a mother again and now you'll have a grandmother that you can introduce your friends to. She will come and visit us and she said that we can go and visit her." Connor got up from his chair and put the money in his pocket. Then he went over to Dr. Martin and gave her a hug. When he stood up he said, "I like this adoption because now I can get one of those T-Shirts that says 'If All Else Fails ask Grandma'." He gave her a kiss and started to leave then he came back and said "You know what else I get to do now?" "What's that Connor?" Dr. Martin asked. "I can write to you and tell you what he is doing. Especially if he gives me any grief. So expect to hear me say 'I'm going to tell Grandma.'" Connor left then to call his girlfriend and to see if she could go out tonight. "You just may come to regret telling him Angel." Cordelia said.
"So when do you want to start playing?" Angel asked Dr. Martin in order to stop worrying about Connor.
"Wait a minute now let me explain some special rules to this poker game that we are going to play. Some of you may not want to play once you hear the special rules." She looked around the table to see if anyone wanted to back out yet. No one said anything.
"Rule number 1 is that the winner of each pot has to take a shot glass full of whatever alcohol based drink that you want. The content of that drink must be at least 80 proof.
Rule number 2 is that the person that has lost the most of each pot must remove one article of clothing."
"Why does the winner have to have a shot of whiskey?" Gunn said.
"It will make for a more even plain among the players. If you have one person among you that always wins then that person will eventually become to drunk to play very well and someone else will start winning. I've heard that Angel almost always wins. So taking a shot of whiskey will take him down a peg or two. Does everyone still want to play?"
"Uh I think I'll go and catch up on some of my science articles. This isn't something I would be comfortable with." Fred said as she rose from the table.
"Anyone else want to back out before we start." Angel asked. No one said anything.
"Okay then lets clear the table. Cordelia do you know if we can shorten the table and will it still have enough room for everyone?" Dr. Martin asked.
"Yes if we take out just 1 leaf it will bring us together a little better." Cordelia, Dr. Martin and Buffy cleared the table and the men worked at making the dinning room table more poker friendly. Cordelia went downstairs and came back with a green cotton bed sheet that was big enough for the table. The sheet would protect the top of the table and make for a non sliding service. Wesley went to get all of the TV trays and put one between two people where they would be able to put any drinks or food.
By the time the women were through cleaning the kitchen and putting the food away the men were through setting up the table. Dr. Martin came out to see if everything that was needed was on the table.
"Angel if you don't mind I'll use your bottle of Southern Comfort." "Sure Dr. Martin I have a new bottle. It's 100 proof though. Can you take it?" "Yes, I think I'll be alright." She gave him a smile and left to go upstairs for a few minutes. Everyone else but Angel and Spike had gone upstairs. Cordelia was going to bring the two bottles of Southern Comfort down for Dr. Martin, Angel and herself. Spike and Buffy were going to use the bottle of Jack Daniels that Angel kept in his desk. Wesley had some Royal Crown and Gunn had Tequila. They all came down at the same time and took their seats around the table. Angel had all of the chips counted out. They were going to start with $20 in chips and Dr. Martin was elected as the banker. Angel was the first one to deal. It was a new deck of cards so it took him awhile to shuffle the cards.
"Okay guys lets open at a $1." Everyone tossed in a $1 chip. "Okay we are going to play straight 5 card stud." Angel started to deal the cards. All cards were dealt with all cards straight up. Angel called out the cards as he dealt each one. "Gunn has an Ace of spades right off the bat, Spike gets a 10 of hearts and Buffy gets a 2 of diamonds. Mom gets a 3 of diamonds, Wesley gets a King of hearts, and my lady luv gets a Queen of hearts, how appropriate. Gunn has Ace high. Bet Gunn." Gunn tossed in another $1. Angel started dealing again. Before the fifth card was dealt the pot had grown to $50. Cordelia had folded with the Queen being her only good card. Buffy had folded. As the 5th card was put down in front of each person it was plain to see who had won. Wesley had 4 kings. "Thank you everyone for your contributions." Wesley said as he raked in the chips. "And the loser is Dr. Martin." "Okay Wesley 1 shot of your Royal Crown." Dr. Martin told him. Wesley opened it and carefully poured it into the glass and drank it. "Okay who was the big loser? Dr. Martin, well how do you like that. Okay here we go with the loser music." They all pitched in with the stripper music. Dr. Martin played it to the hilt. She put her leg up and put it out for Wesley to take her shoe off. She had, what some called, her old lady shoes on. Wesley unlaced her shoe and took it off for her.
Angel passed the deck of cards over to Gunn. "Okay people lets make it interesting." He tossed in a $5 chip. After he was sure that everyone had tossed in their $5 chip he announced the game. "Okay it's Jacks or Better and the Pot." By the time they were done with this game Gunn had folded and Spike had folded. Angel had won with a full house and Wesley was the big loser. The pot contained $30. Angel raked it in and took a shot of the Southern Comfort and Wesley took off his left shoe. At that time Dr. Martin got up and filled a small glass with ice and brought it back to the table. Everyone watched her pour herself a glass of the Southern Comfort and then drink some. "Your going to be drunk before the big winner is." Gunn said. "That's powerful stuff you know." Dr. Martin smiled. "Yes it is powerful but it tastes soooo good."
The next winning hand went to Dr. Martin with a 4 of a kind. She raked in her winnings and downed a shot glass full of her Southern Comfort. The big loser was Angel. He put his leg up on the table for Cordelia to take his shoe off. Cordelia took his shoe off and then pulled his sock down. "Look Buffy." Cordelia ran her fingers up and down his leg. "Smooth as a baby's bottom." Buffy got up from her chair and went over to Angel and Cordelia and ran her fingers along his leg. "Why is his leg so smooth. Have you two gotten into the kinky stuff?" Buffy continued to run her fingers up and down Angels leg. "Hey! Hey! Hey! That's enough now." Spike told Buffy to sit down. "You should feel it, she did a good job." Buffy said. She was enjoying herself as she teased Spike. "I already did." Spike said as he counted his chips. "Why were you feeling Angels leg?" Gunn asked. "I had to do it before we operated on his foot." "Ewwww no wonder you like helping Dr. Martin." Spike's anger flared and he jumped on Gunn. Angel pulled him off right away. "Spike he was only teasing you. They all know how much you've helped me. They all know how much I owe you. Let it go and lets get back to the game." Gunn got up from the floor and apologized to Spike. "I'm sorry Spike I was only kidding you. I know how they always clean away any hair that is close to the surgical site." "How do you know?" Spike asked. "I had my appendix taken out. And man you don't ever want that area done on you." They all laughed. Spike and Gunn sat back down and got back to the game. Angel noticed how Dr. Martin had finished off her glass and poured another.
"As she had planned Dr. Martin won the next 2 hands and Angel was the looser. She baited him and he took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. He was now missing everything but his pants. She didn't want him to get suspicious so she let someone else win. She folded a couple of times also. By 11 p.m. Gunn was missing both of his shoes, both socks and his shirt. Spike was missing his shoes, socks, shirt and T-shirt . He was consistently getting bad hands and folding. Buffy had pulled out of the game for awhile while she got something for her and Spike to eat but she was walking around in her bare feet and she was missing her blouse. Which left her bra and jeans. Wesley was missing both shoes and socks, his shirt and T-shirt. His pants were the next to go so he was folding a lot unless it was a sure thing.
Dr. Martin was missing both shoes, stockings and her blouse. She still had a top slip and her skirt and slip. She had let her hair down and pulled it forward over her chest. Cordelia was the big looser as usual. She was down to her bra and panties. Like Wesley she was folding a lot unless it was a sure thing. It didn't really matter though because they had all won enough so that they were beginning to be pretty drunk. By midnight Dr. Martin had drunk most of the bottle and Angel was wondering how she was still awake. She thought it was time for the game to end. It was her turn to deal and choose the game. She said in a loud voice "Okay guys it's time to call it a night and make someone the floor show. It looks like the floor show could be performed by either Spike, Wesley or Angel. They each have only their pants and hopefully, for their sakes, some shorts on. Lets have two more hands. Lets play straight poker. She threw in two $5 chips. Everybody said at the same time " $10 ?" "Yes $10 dollars if you can't anti up then back out of the game. Just by coincidence only Spike, Angel and Wesley had the money. They tossed in their $10 chips. "Okay this is going to be straight poker." Once again Angel was the looser and Dr. Martin won. Instead of pouring some Southern Comfort into a shot glass she just drank the rest of what was left in her glass. Angel go up and took his pants off. "Well people I think Angel has finally found his match." They all became more alert at that remark from Spike. Dr. Martin handed the deck of cards to Wesley. He pushed them back. "You seem to be doing just fine. Go ahead and take my turn." Dr. Martin tossed in another $10s worth of chips. She waited for the rest to anti up. "Straight poker again guys." Once again she made sure that Angel was the loser again. She was tired and wanted to get to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. She poured some more Southern Comfort into her glass and swallowed it without hesitation. They started the stripping song. Without hesitation he got up and took his shorts off and stood before everyone in his birthday suit and leaned over the table. "Something is up here because I never lose." "Well my dear boy I am here to tell you that fortunately it isn't you." Dr. Martin said. Everybody laughed. A few snickers could be heard around the table. "Come on Angel we want our floor show. Stop stalling." Spike said. The men were having the time of their lives. It wasn't so much that Angel lost all of his clothes it was that he actually lost. The ladies stood up and started whistling. "This week has just got to end for me. I have never been so embarrassed so many times within one week. Okay ladies and gentlemen here it goes. He stood up and grabbed Cordelia real fast and held her in his arms. Then turned and ran up the stairs with her. Spike made a wad of paper and shot it at Angels behind with a rubber band. He got him in the right cheek just as he was starting up the stairs. "Ow!" Angel turned and saw Spike standing up and holding the rubber band. "I'm going to get you for that Spike." Angel continued running up the stairs and to the bedroom. Cordelia opened the door then closed it. "Put me down Angel. I have to go to the bathroom so bad." Angel put her down and she ran into the bathroom. When she came out she found him sprawled across the bed and asleep. "Angel wake up and get on your own side and under the covers. He woke up just enough to crawl under the covers. Cordelia jumped into the other side of the bed. As soon as Angel felt her beside him he turned over and wrapped his arms around her. Cordelia knew that he always went to sleep better when he could wrap his arms around her. She laughed to herself as she thought, she was like his Teddy Bear. When she was a little girl and feeling lonely when her parents were off traveling someplace again she found comfort in her Teddy Bear that was half as big as her. She turned around and snuggled into his embrace. "Good night Angel." "Good night Cordelia."
The next morning when Angel and Cordelia came downstairs they found everyone else, including Connor, at the dinning room table. Cordelia went into the kitchen and scrambled some eggs and toasted 4 slices of wheat bread. She didn't eat four slices by herself but she knew that Angel would take some of her breakfast so she always made more for herself then she needed. Angel made himself a mug of blood and coffee for Cordelia and they joined the rest in the dining room when she was finished.
"What's up guys?" Angel asked. "Nothing, we were just shooting the breeze. We were wondering when or if we were ever going to have a case to work on again." Wesley answered.
"Don't worry about it guys I think we will be busy soon enough." Angel said. He noticed Dr. Martin was playing with a deck of cards. She shuffled them over and over again. Everyone started watching her. She picked the deck of cards up and went down to the end of the table.
"Would you mind moving down one chair everyone? I would like to sit by Angel so I can show him something." Everyone on Spikes side moved down one chair so she could sit in Spikes chair.
"I need some space here can we move the plates also?" Buffy came over and picked their plates and cups up and took them into the kitchen. She brought some coffee back for Spike and herself.
Once the table was cleared Dr. Martin started playing with the cards. The way she was handling them had everyone watching what she was doing. She fanned the cards out in a semi circle then flipped them over by just lifting the end card. She did this several times then picked the cards up and shuffled them and cut the cards with one hand. She did several more tricks with the cards then shuffled them and dealt three hands out for 5 Card Stud.
"Angel, Cordelia and Spike. Pick up your cards and arrange them as you like. Let me know when your done." After a few minutes they were ready. Dr. Martin stood up and started walking to the lobby. "Let's go over here for our last session and bring your cards. Everyone but Angel can sit where ever you want." Everyone got up and went into the lobby.
"Angel, Cordelia and Spike, look at your cards. Angel you have a Royal Flush, Cordelia you have 4 of a kind, and Spike you have a full house Kings high."
"How did you do that?" Cordelia asked.
"How do you think I did it?" Dr. Martin asked.
"Well I really don't think you would use real magic so it was some kind of magician type magic."
"You used that to win and make me lose didn't you?" Angel said. "Because I never lose." Angels voice rose a few decibels. Dr. Martin leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. "You played me until you had me just where you wanted didn't you?"
"What's the matter Angel did I hurt your pride?" Everyone but Angel shouted "YES" then they all cracked up. Everyone else but Angel knew how much pride he had in his abilities, including his poker playing skills. Angel was mad but he cracked a smile when every one else started laughing.
"Do you think you have a lot of pride in your abilities Angel?" Dr. Martin asked.
"No, I don't think I have a lot of pride. I think I have just enough to look presentable and to accomplish the work that I have to do." "Do you ever plan an attack on the enemy and perform it according to someone else's suggestion or is it always they way you plan it? Do you go after the enemy by yourself instead of waiting for your partners to help you so that you don't run into anything that you can't handle? Do you ever talk to your friends about problems that you are having to deal with or do you handle all of your problems the way you think it has to be done?"
Angel was quiet. He was thinking about all of the times that those questions would apply to him. They were all quiet as they thought about the times that Angel did things that almost got him killed. Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn were thinking about when he fired them because he was having a hard time dealing with Darla. Most of all they thought of when he went after the young vamps that crucified him.
"Yeah I guess I do have a lot of pride in my own abilities. And I do think that I am always right because I have lived long enough to have experience in almost everything. And I don't always follow the same rules that I set down for others." Angel said real low.
"What was that Angel we couldn't hear you." Wesley said. Angel repeated what he said a little louder.
"What are you going to do about it now that you have admitted to the deadly sin of pride?" Dr. Martin asked.
"I don't know but I am sure you'll tell me." "No Angel I'm not going to tell you. You already know. All I needed to do was get you to admit it. I suggested the poker game because I wanted for you to see how your pride could get you in trouble when just the right person or persons come along and are better at what you think you're the best at. Most of the bad things that have happened to you in your life has been caused by your pride." Dr. Martin said. She got up and walked around a little.
"I know you have something to ask me Angel so just come out with it." Dr. Martin sat down again.
"I saw you drink almost all of that bottle of 100 proof Southern Comfort. If it had been anyone else they would have passed out a long time ago and been sick the next morning. How is it that your not in the same condition?"
Dr. Martin and Wesley smiled at each other. Dr. Martin had a guilty grin on her face and was trying to hide it.
"I am sorry Angel but it was important last night that you think that I was just a regular player that was having a good time. I am one of those rare people that is not affected by alcohol. I can drink it until it comes out of my eyeballs and it won't affect me in anyway other than destroying my liver and eating a hole in my stomach."
"You mean you don't even get sick the next morning?" "Well I've never let it go that far before. Last night I went to my bathroom and made myself bring up all of that alcohol. That was the only reason that my stomach was hurting this morning."
"You lucky stiff." Spike said.
"How did you learn to do all of that fancy hand work with the cards?" Angel asked.
"Angel, other then last night I have never lied to you. What I am going to tell you is the absolute truth. Sr. Margaret taught me. Before she went into the convent she was a dealer at one of the first casinos in Las Vegas."
"I have got to meet this remarkable woman." Angel said. "Don't wait to long to pay a visit because she isn't well and there is no telling how much longer she will live. But if you do come out so that she can see the man that she helped to do Gods work it would make her very, very happy." Dr. Martin said.
"Does anyone else have any questions for me? This is the last chance that you will have before I leave because I have to do a few things before we leave for the Airport."
"Why haven't you ever wanted to talk to me about anything." Gunn asked.
Dr. Martin was kind of surprised by his question. "Gunn I don't know much about you. But the reason I never called on you to come up to room 412 was because I don't think you have any problems. Gunn I see you as the person in this group with the purest of intentions. By that I mean that the things you do in fighting evil is the most unselfish act that I know of, at least as far as this group goes. Angel fights for his redemption because of all the things that Angelus did while he was in control of his body. Wesley fights with Angel because it was what he was raised to do. Cordelia does is because Angel does it. Fred was rescued by all of you. It's not quiet that simple but that's the gist of it. And you Gunn, you do it because you want to do it to help your fellow man. Plain and simple. What happened to your sister was the most painful thing you have ever done. I think though that you realize, at the bottom of your heart, that it was a risk she took and that you may face one day. You did your sister a big favor when you ended her life. You've seen how much Angel suffers and I know that you wouldn't want her to go through the same thing."
Dr. Martin turned to Spike. "Spike, Wesley and I had a long talk with Dr. Thompson about you. He will take care of Angel and you if he has to, but he isn't a surgeon and his specialty is women. If you want to you can work with him for awhile. It would be good for you to learn more about women and all of their particular problems and especially when they're pregnant. The problem is of course that he works during the day and you can only go out at night. That though is up to you as to how you want to handle it. Since your in Sunnydale and he is here in Los Angeles you will have to take care of any immediate problems that Buffy may have. He said that you could call him at any time if you need help. I've heard that you have told Angel that you think because of your Vampiric abilities, you and Angel may go through Buffy's and Cordelia's pregnancy along with them. All I can say is good luck, but I will come back for their delivery. It would sure make it a lot easier on me if the ladies would get pregnant at the same time and of course the babies will have to be delivered here. I don't want to scare anyone but considering the problems that Darla had I just want to be careful. I truly believe that Darla couldn't deliver Connor in a normal way because outside influences caused her to be able to conceive. I just want to be careful though. When I hear from Dr. Thompson that their pregnancy is confirmed then I will order the proper equipment for a delivery. Fred I want you to go over the medical supplies with me so that you can make sure we have the proper supplies on hand at all times. I will put your's and Cordelia's name on record at the supply warehouse so that you both will be authorized to order supplies. You will always use my name to order supplies. Tonight Angel, Spike and Buffy I want to take a sample of blood from each of you just before we leave. I also need someone to get some Dry Ice and a small square ice chest that I can transport the samples in. Okay guys this is the end of the last session. I have to be at the airport at least 2 hours before my flight takes off. Is everyone going with us?"
"Yes, we have to give Angels mom a proper send off." Wesley said with a smile.
"Okay then Angel I am going to go up to 412 for awhile when I get done with Fred. If you and Cordelia want to join me you are perfectly welcome." Dr. Martin and Fred then went into the large kitchen to go over the medical supplies. One hour later she headed upstairs for 412. She sat down in her favorite chair and opened her prayer book. By the time she was done and ready to start on her rosary Cordelia and Angel came in.
"Come and sit down Angel and Cordelia. I'm glad your here I was just about to start my rosary." Angel and Cordelia sat down on the couch and joined Dr. Martin. When they were done they just sat in silence for awhile.
"Angel and Cordelia I wanted to tell you that I am considering leaving the convent and moving to Los Angeles. Dr. Thompson and his partner have offered me a partnership in their medical offices. Most importantly I have all of you now. Once again I have a son, and now a daughter in-law and a grandson and I am having a very difficult time leaving all of you."
Angel had a big grin on his face when he said "Do you think my boss will take away everything he has given me if you leave the convent?" "No Angel it doesn't work like that." She smiled and smacked him. She knew he was joking.
Dr. Martin grew serious again. "I am going home and think about it. It's very hard sometimes to know what Christ wants us to do so I am going to give myself a time limit. When Cordelia is at the beginning of her seventh month I will come back for her delivery. I will either come back with one piece of luggage or several. Until then I have a lot of things to think about. I have to consider what I will be doing to my sisters. I don't want to leave them without a surgeon and a psychiatrist. I also have patients that need my help and support. Anyway this is what I wanted to talk to you about. Angel I would like you to call Mr. Morgan and see how he is doing. I am guessing that you either have or will get Willow to restore his soul, is that correct? "Yes, I called Willow yesterday." Angel said as he leaned forward with his elbows on his legs and looking down at the floor. He looked at his watch. "He has had his soul back for a little over 24 hours."
"I think you should call him now. Cordelia, you should talk to Marissa also. I know that this has to be very hard for you Angel, but I am going to ask you to help him go through at least the first month of having his soul back. Don't forget how hard it was for you." They sat in silence for awhile. Then Angel went over to the bed and picked up the phone and dialed Morgans phone number. A servant answered the phone. "Hello, my name is Angel, may I speak to either Mr. Morgan or Mrs. Morgan?" The servant said that Mr. Morgan was unable to come to the phone but that Mrs. Morgan was available to speak with him. "Thank you, Mrs. Morgan would be fine." Angel waited while Marissa came to the phone. "Angel?" Marissa was crying at the same time that she was speaking to him. "Angel, what did you do to William. I am afraid to leave him alone, he seems to be suffering from a deep depression. I had some tranquilizers that I gave him but all it does is make him sleep. Within a few minutes of waking up he's in the same depression he was in before. He keeps on muttering about all of the people he has hurt or killed. Can you come over here?" "I can't come right now because I am going to be taking Dr. Martin to the airport today. As soon as her plane takes off though I will be heading out their. What is your address?" Angel wrote an address down before hanging up. He put it in his pocket. He laid down then and put his hands over his eyes. Cordelia came over to him and laid down on the other side of the bed. "I am going to just lay here for awhile. What is it about Mothers that they can make you feel so guilty. Now I'm depressed."
"I am going to go and start packing. I'll see you downstairs at 6 p.m. sharp. We can go out for dinner." She opened the door and closed it behind her very carefully.
At 6 p.m. on the dot Dr. Martin was downstairs with her luggage. All of a sudden she heard a bunch of noise coming from upstairs. Cordelia, Angel, and the rest came running down the stairs. Some were running and tucking in their shirts at the same time. The ladies were still taking care of their hair.
"Here are my keys Angel. Don't forget that I have to return the car with a full tank of premium gas. Someone else can drive your car." "Spike." Angel threw his keys to Spike. "Let's go guys." He picked up Dr. Martins luggage and Gunn helped Spike carry Buffy's and his luggage as well. Of course Buffy's stuff took up the major portion of the suitcases. Buffy had made reservations to take a flight out to Sunnydale at almost the same time. She had boxed all of the clothes she had bought and Cordelia was going to mail it to her tomorrow. She had bought a large suitcase just to hold her wedding dress and was taking it with her. They all piled into the vehicles and a small caravan took off for the Airport. By 6:30 they were parking the vehicles and on their way to check in Dr. Martin. This took only 15 minutes since they were early. Buffy and Spike were taking a smaller Airline so they were in a different area. They all met at a restaurant that was in the Airport and went in for dinner. The mood was light and a lot of conversation was taking place. Both Cordelia and Dr. Martin noticed that Angel seemed to be very nervous. Cordelia reached for his hand. "What's wrong Angel? You look like your about to jump out of your skin." "I'll talk to you about it when we leave the restaurant." At 7:15 they all rose to leave. Spike and Buffy had to go the opposite side of the airport since they were taking a small plane to Sunnydale. They all hugged each other good bye. Dr. Martin stepped to the side with Buffy and Spike and away from everyone else. They talked for a few minutes then Buffy and Spike hugged Dr. Martin and gave her a kiss goodbye then waved goodby to everyone and left for their own loading gate. They all then walked to the point where they were stopped by the inspection gates. No one that was not going on the flight could pass beyond this point. Angel went to the side and took his cell phone out and called a former client that worked at the airport in security. Angel put his phone away and returned to the group. Within a few minutes the apparent supervisor of the group received a call.
"This is where the rest of you have to say goodbye. Cordelia and I will be going with Dr. Martin and wait with her at the gate. Wesley we'll be going to see Morgan after Dr. Martin takes off. Before we approach his house I'll call you to let you know we are going in. If we are not back by 2 a.m. and I haven't called then something has happened and we might need help." Angel said.
"Maybe we should go with you if you think something might happen." Wesley said. Dr. Martin caught Angels eye just as he was about to say no. He remembered his lesson in humility the previous night and gave it a second thought.
"Why don't you follow me over there and wait outside though. I don't want his men to see us as a threat. If I don't call you in 15 minutes after entering their house then come after us." "Okay, I'm comfortable with that." Wesley said. "Dr. Martin, it looks like your lesson in humility has actually worked with Angel." Wesley said with a grin. He went to her and gave her a hug and kissed her on both cheeks. Then he stepped back and let the rest say goodbye. Fred went over to Dr. Martin to say goodbye and Dr. Martin whispered into her ear. "Have you chosen yet Fred." "Yes I did. Wesley and I have been together for the past couple of weeks. The morning that Spike and Buffy almost brought the house down I went to him. When those two were having sex, it was like smelling popcorn. You just had to have it also. That's when I went to Wesley." "I am very happy for you and Wesley. Don't worry about Gunn he will find someone very soon. It's important that you start your family soon Fred. Your children along with Angel and Cordelia's will be the next ones to take over the agency. You know as well as I do that your children will have a lot of schooling to go through so don't waste time." Dr. Martin gave Fred a hug and gave her, her blessing before letting her go. The last one to say goodbye was Connor. "Connor your father needs for you grow up and grow up fast. You have a lot to learn in dealing with people. I also suggest that you work to get an education. You're a smart young man Connor don't waste that intelligence. Your father knows a lot because he has lived for so long. You won't have that luxury. You will live a normal human life span. Now promise me that you will be good and start on your education." Dr. Martin held his hands and looked him in the eye. Connor had no choice but to give her a nod of yes. "Okay I'll do as you ask, but only because you asked." Connor gave her a hug and kiss goodbye. Before Angel, Cordelia and Dr. Martin went through the gate Connor yelled at her. "Goodbye Grandma." They all laughed at that. "We'll meet you at the cars Angel." Angel waved back and they went through inspection. Once they went through Angel appeared to relax immediately. "You made your heart beat faster so the x-ray would pick up on a beating heart, right?" Cordelia said as they walked to the loading gate. Angel put his arm around Cordelia's shoulder. "My old lady is a pretty smart cookie." He looked at Dr. Martin and said "Do you think I should keep her Mom?" "Yes Angel I think she is a keeper. I suppose you told Spike to run to their gate so that his heart would be beating faster also." "Well actually he is the one that suggested that I do something to make my heart beat faster." Angel said.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Angel put his arms around the shoulders of both women as they walked to the gate. When they arrived they still had a few minutes to wait so they took 3 seats that were at the window. Since it was night time they could see all of the lights from planes taking off and landing. Angel and Cordelia sat on either side of Dr. Martin. Angel was quiet for awhile. Angel picked up Dr. Martins left hand and held it between both of his. He looked down at her hand and her wedding ring on her finger. Then he looked at the mark in his own hand. He rubbed at it with his thumb.
"I'm afraid Dr. Martin." Angel said as he held her hand. "Why are you afraid Angel?" "I am afraid that I will forget everything that you have taught me and start to sink back into the darkness that I existed in before you came. I am afraid that with you gone Angelus will push harder to control my thoughts."
"You will be alright Angel. You have Cordelia now. Angelus is afraid of her right?" Dr. Martin asked. "I don't know for sure if he is afraid, but I do know that he is quiet when she is by me." "Let her help you Angel. Go to her when you feel like your losing the battle against Angelus, you will find strength in her to succeed and place Angelus back in his box."
The announcement for first class to board came over the loud speaker. Dr. Martin got up and turned to Cordelia. "Take care of our boy Cordelia. Together you can beat the forces of evil which includes Angelus. Don't forget that he has St. Michael as his guardian Angel. If Angel is having a problem that together you don't seem to be able to overcome then pray to St. Michael. Don't let him forget to pray the rosary every day. He will be kept strong by his daily prayer." Dr. Martin hugged her. "I will Mom." Cordelia pulled back and Dr. Martin made the sign of the cross on her forehead. She then turned to Angel.
"I think we've said everything that has to be said between us Angel. Look to everyone around you if you are in trouble, either physically or up hear." She pointed to his head. Angel bent over and picked her up in a hug. He kissed her on her cheek and then put her down. He had tears in his eyes as she did. They heard the last call for boarding for first class.
"I know I shouldn't say this but I am going to pray everyday that you come back with at least 2 suitcases." He smiled and hugged her again. "Goodby Mom, I'll miss you every day." Angel let her go and Dr. Martin picked up her purse and turned to leave without looking back again. She didn't think she could control her tears if she did. They watched her get on the plane. They continued to watch the plane until Angel couldn't see the lights any more. Angel continued to watch until he couldn't see the lights of the plane anymore. He leaned on the rail. Cordelia could tell that he was shedding silent tears. She gave him a few minutes.
"Come on Angel the others are waiting." Cordelia put her hand on his back and waited for him to get control of himself. Cordelia gave him some kleenex to wipe his tears away. He didn't turn back to her until he had wiped his tears completely away and then he blew his nose.
"How do I look? Did I wipe away all of my strange looking tears?" He asked her as he turned to her. She took out another kleenex and wiped away the streaks of blood that his tears had left behind. "Now you look presentable. Now you look like any other big strong man that has said goodbye to his mother." She smiled at him and that made him feel better. "Let's go and see Morgan now." Angel said as he took her hand in his and they went to meet the rest at the cars.
EPILOG
Angel and Cordelia went to Morgan's home. He was stopped at a gate by a guard. He told him who he was and the guard called the main house, he was on the phone for about five minutes then he opened the gates and told Angel to go through.
Marissa was at the front door as they pulled up. The butler came and opened the door for Cordelia. Angel came around and took her hand. He kept her close to him. Marissa took them to the upstairs master bedroom right away. They could see that she had been crying. She opened the door to the master bedroom and held it open while they came in then she closed the door after them. Angel was still holding onto Cordelia's hand. They didn't see anyone until Marissa took them into the large walk in closet. Bobby was sitting in a chair. His back was toward them. He turned around to look to see who was with Marissa. As fast as it took for a thought to go through Cordelia's mind Bobby was faster. He attacked Angel and had him on the floor. Bobby was on top of Angel with a spike in his hand.
"What did you do to him? I want an answer now or I swear I'll dust you right here in front of your wife." Angel threw him off easily and jumped up and grabbed Bobby from behind and made him drop the wooden spike.
"Let him go Angel, please." Both Angel and Bobby hadn't noticed Morgan come out of his hiding place which had been in the furthest and darkest corner of the closet. When Bobby dropped the spike Cordelia had picked it up. They heard several men running up the steps and pushing the door open.
"It's okay men everything is under control. You can leave us alone now." Morgan said as Angel let Bobby go at the same time. The guards looked around then left on Morgans word.
Cordelia reminded Angel to call Wesley. He pulled his cell phone out and called Wesley and told him that they were okay and they could go home.
"What did you do to me Angel?" Morgan asked as he sat on a chair. He looked tired. Angel didn't think that Morgan had got any sleep since he was at the hotel. Marissa didn't look much better. Angel pulled a chair over for Cordelia and himself. He sat down across from Morgan. Without looking at Angel spoke to Bobby, "Sit down Bobby where I can see you." Bobby put a chair over by Morgan and sat down.
"I arranged to have your soul given back to you Morgan. I don't know if you know this or not Morgan but my soul was returned to me also. Except mine was returned with a curse." He gave Morgan a minute to let it sink in.
"I killed a young gypsy girl. I played with her for awhile then I drained her dry. Her family found out who did it and they tracked me down like an animal. The girls grandmother was a witch. She cursed me with the return of my soul. Returning my soul wasn't enough for her though she wanted to make sure that I would suffer even more. Her curse included a little clause I guess you could say. This added clause stated that if I should ever have a moment of pure happiness that I would lose my soul again and the world would be cursed with the company of Angelus. Believe me when I say that your nothing compared Angelus."
"What do you mean by a 'A moment of pure happiness"? Morgan looked scared. His eyes were opened wide and you could clearly see the whites of his eyes.
"It meant that I couldn't have intercourse with the woman I loved." Morgan stood up from his chair slowly as it dawned on him what Angel was saying.
"You mean you did that to me even after you helped Marissa and I?" Cordelia saw the look on Marissa's face. One part of her wanted them to suffer but another part said no, that it was wrong to make them think that they could never make love again, and that their was no possibility of children in they're future. Cordelia looked at Angel and cleared her throat loudly. When he looked at her she looked at Marissa. Then Cordelia cleared her throat again to get Angels attention. She mouthed the words to him without drawing their attention 'Tell them the truth.' That made Angel feel guilty. He had wanted to drag it out a little longer to make Morgan suffer a little more.
"No Morgan, I showed you more kindness then you showed Cordelia and I. That part of the curse was taken out." Morgan sank back down into his chair. "Don't think your out of hot water yet Morgan. You see I went through what your going thru now. Except I didn't have anyone to love me or hold me or take care of me. Your lucky in that you already have your wife. I don't know exactly how evil your demon is Morgan but if he is even half as bad as mine your in for a lot of suffering. I almost lost my mind. I went crazy with hunger because at first I couldn't bring myself to kill innocent people. At first I drank from criminals and people that lived in the streets. Bums, alcoholics, prostitutes, and those that fed off of the cast offs of society. Then one day I slipped because I was so hungry that I took the blood of an innocent person. I was so horrified by what I had done that from then on I only drank the blood of animals. These days Morgan I live on pigs blood. There are several butchers that Cordelia goes to for my food. Get used to it Morgan. I don't know what you fed off before but you might as well get used to animal blood from now on because your conscience won't let you take anything else. I am going to leave now Morgan. Marissa I suggest that you walk us to my car. I have something else to tell you. Call one of your other guards to come in here and stay with your husband. Bobby can then come with us. Marissa went to the door and called one of the guards to come in.
"Stay here with Morgan. Watch him carefully. Don't let him out of your site. Your boss could be suicidal." Angel told the guard. He took Cordelia's hand then and they went downstairs. Angel stopped at the front door.
"Marissa it's going to be hard on you as well as Morgan. I don't know how long this will take because it all depends on the individual vampires demon. Spike went through the same thing. He only took a couple of months to get through it though, where as I took years because of the particular viciousness of Angelus. Spike says that it didn't take him very long because he got along with his demon. It all depends on how Morgan responds to his demon now that he has his soul back. When Morgan is feeling up to it you can come over or we can come over here and I'll explain further. Marissa and Bobby, the advice I am going to give you now will seem harsh and cruel but if you want to keep Morgan alive you will do what I say. Marissa do you have a basement or at least somewhere where you have a cement wall or large pipes going along the wall.
"Yes. The house has a wine cellar and one wall has nothing by it because it has large metal pipes going through the wall and then to the outside." Bobby said.
"If you care for your boss you'll chain him up down there. He could become suicidal. Don't forget that it only takes him a second to get away and walk into the sunlight." Angel and Cordelia went out to their car. Marissa followed them. Cordelia turned and looked at her. She felt sorry for her so she got out of the car again and went to her.
"It will get better Marissa. When he needs you just hold him. Let him cry all he wants. Listen to him when he needs someone to listen. Most of all just be there for him. Once he is no longer suicidal try to get him to keep busy." She hugged her and said goodbye. She returned to the car and they left.
The next week Cordelia had her first vision in a long time. They all went running out the door, eager to have some action. They didn't return until almost midnight, and they all went to bed right away. Every ones muscles were hurting from all of the activity. The only one that wasn't hurting was Connor. He made himself a sandwich and went back up to his room. He took a shower before eating his sandwich.
That night he started a letter to his new grandmother. He continued writing the same letter for a week. He told her about the vision Cordelia had, had and how they had all gone to bed early because they were all sore from being so far out of shape. The best part of the letter was written a few days later.
"Friday: We all had a good laugh at Angels expense this morning Grandma. This morning Cordelia wasn't feeling to good so Angel fixed their breakfast. He brought her 2 fried eggs with toast and coffee. The moment he put it on the table in front of her she put her hand to her mouth and went running to the bathroom. He said she had done the same thing for the past few days. Angel sat down and started to drink his warmed blood. All of a sudden he put it down and looked like he was going to be sick to. He put his hand to his mouth and ran to the bathroom behind the stairs. They both came back at the same time. Cordelia was a little pale from throwing up so much and Angel looked whiter then usual. Cordelia took the toast and pushed the rest away where she couldn't see it. Angel drank the rest of his drink and looked a lot better. What ever is wrong with them it hits them in the morning all of the time and sometimes at night. What's odd about it is that Angel always gets sick a minute or two after Cordelia does. That's it for now Grandma I'll start another letter next week. Bye.
THE END
"for now"
I hope you enjoyed my first story. I'm not much for describing any fights so I hope you don't mind that I only skimmed over those situations. My main purpose in writing this was to put down in writing all of the things that would go through my head while watching the show. Most of all I wanted Angel and Cordelia to be together. I wanted our boy to finally have some happiness. I paired Buffy and Spike together because I think they are perfect together. I made Spike a doctor because of the show where Riley came back looking for some "monster" and called Spike Doctor. I kept wondering why Riley called him Doctor, so I gave him a reason.
Most of all I started this story because I wanted something to be said about God. I understand the reason why He isn't mentioned in the. Isn't it odd that it's okay to mention evil in the form of monsters from other dimensions but it's not okay to mention God. So I gave Him equal time and I gave Angel the only true help that could give him what he needs to overcome the evil that is in the world.
Later on in the year I will be writing a follow up story but for now I am going to try my hand at a story that I would like to try to get published.
Thank you to all of you that sent me reviews.