Chapter 2: filling the gaps.
Title: A new beginning.
Author: Nikka
Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that **English is not my native tongue** Although Sarah is reproofing my fic, you still may find some spelling & grammar mistakes. You're more then welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.
A special thank you to Sarah for reproofing my story. As of that the upload of the chapters may take longer.
Feedback: I love love love reviews and I'll be sure to mention it at the end of every chapter.
***
"How did you know?" she was shocked. **He couldn't have noticed the belly; there was no way he could. Yeah he has super strength and hearing but there's nothing about seeing through clothes...** and then it hit her. He had super hearing; he must have heard the baby, in some way. **God Cordy, did you really think you could hide this from him?** "Angel I..." She never got to finish her sentence. He got up and turned his back to her, unable to face her. His heart dropped with the sound of the little heartbeat. He wasn't sure whether or not he was happy, sad, disappointed. The range of emotions was huge and right now he felt none. "Can you say something? Anything?" She hoped he wasn't mad, its not like she planned it. This came as a surprise to her as well.
"Is that why they sent you back? He asked, still not facing her.
"After I made my decision, they decided to send me back. They said that now I have a greater mission, to be a mother to this child. They told me it is special and I should guard it with my life." She explained.
"So you're not a higher being any more?" Angel wasn't sure about the details.
"No, not anymore. And I won't be again, at least not for a long while." She replied, hoping he'd look at her. "Angel? Can you turn around? I need to see your face."
"Are you going to tell Groo or raise it on your own? Or not raise it at all?" He asked and this time he turned. Still keeping his distance, but at least he was facing her.
"Raise it at all??" She repeated his question. "If you only knew the crazy thoughts I had concerning this baby." She got up and walked towards him, but still kept some distance between them. "When they told me, I was up there for over a month. They told me my choices and let me decide. It was a long decision, but I decided to keep it and raise it, on my own, without getting Groo involved."
"But its his child too, he deserves to know." Angel protested.
"And he will, someday, but not now. It won't do anyone of us any good. He left because he knew I didn't love him, not the way he loved me. I want him to be happy. I want him to find a wife in Pylea and build a life of his own. He deserves that much." She took a few steps forward. "Nothing needs to change, I'm still the same Cordelia and my feelings are the same." She reached out and touched his hand.
"But it is different." He pulled away. "You're going to have a child from another man, that changes everything." Angel couldn't understand how she could think it would all be the same.
"Angel, Groo is out of the picture, there's only me and an unborn child who will only know you, Fred, Lorne and Gunn as his family. Why does it matter that much?" **if I love him, what's the difference?**
"It does make a difference." Angel insisted.
"What? What difference? My feelings are the same. I still want you, I still want to be with you." She couldn't get him. Why was he so stubborn?
"Cordy it's not that simple. Groo and you are a family, whether you like it or not. He can give you the life you need." He tried to explain.
"You're what I need. There's nothing Groo could have given me that you can't."
Angel looked at her belly with a sad stare. "Except a child."
She finally got it. That's what been eating him, that its Groo's child and not his own. That it could never be his child.
"One child is more than enough, and as I said; this child will know you not Groo..."
"I don't want to cheat Groo of his right to fatherhood." He cut her off.
"No one's asking you to. I said I'm going to raise it on my own and that's what I'll do. I'm not looking for a surrogate father for my unborn child. I can do this on my own." Now she was pissed. ** Is that what he thinks of me? That I'm only looking for a daddy to my baby. God, how arrogant of him.**
"Cordy I didn't mean it like that." He tried to explain.
"Yeah you did." She said coldly. "Could you please take me back to my place, I'm tired and I need a bath."
"Cordy...?"
"Angel, not now okay, I want to go home."
"About your place..." He forgot to tell her.
"What about it? Don't tell me it was rented to someone else?" The look on his face said it all. "It was? I was only gone for 3 months, couldn't you pay the rent for me? I would have paid you back."
"We thought you were gone for good. I saw you up there and we figured you're not coming back." He explained.
"So where is all my stuff? Don't tell me you gave it to charity?" **you better not**
"No, it's all in the hotel, in one of the rooms. I'll take you there." He offered.
"Maybe that's' not the best idea?" She didn't really love the idea of spending the entire night under the same roof with Angel.
"Have a better idea? Or somewhere else to spent the night?" He had a good point; he knew it and so did she.
"Fine lets go."
***
All the way back to the hotel, they didn't speak at all. Angel concentrated on the road, while Cordy stared out the window, avoiding eye contact. Finally they reached the Hyperion, and Cordy got out of the car so quickly she got dizzy. Angel noticed that and quickly came to her aid supporting her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I need some rest." He was still holding her arm when she shrugged it off and walked towards the entrance. He knew she was still angry with him.
She walked in to find Fred, Gunn and Lorne waiting at the lobby. "Hey guys." Lorne jumped up from the couch so did the rest.
"Princess, you're back. You are back right? In the full sense of the word?
"I'm back, for good." She smiled and before she could walk down the stairs all three of them jumped on her and hugged her all at once .At that point exactly Angel walked in. when he saw the display the only thing he could thing of was the baby.
He rushed over to the group hugging. "Hey, hey." He yelled at them. "Back away your smothering her, give her some room to breath." They let go of her surprised by Angel's reaction. Only Cordy knew his real reason for panicking.
"Angel its okay I'm fine." She reassured him.
"I'm getting strength vibes." Lorne declared as he stared at Cordy. "Care to explain, sugar?"
"I was planning to save it till morning, but I guess there's no time like the present. Lets sit down." She sat on the couch as the rest gathered around her. She told them everything, at least the relevant part. She told them about being a higher been and about the reason she was back, which led to the baby. Like Angel they had a lot of questions, which she patiently answered.
"Wow." Fred summed it up for everyone.
"Wow indeed." Lorne took a sip from his drink.
"And we thought we had a crazy summer." Gunn chuckled.
"What do you mean crazy summer? What happen here?" Right then they all figured that Angel didn't tell her about Connor and his little vacation under the sea for the past three months.
"I was getting around to it." He said after all the stares he got from the others.
"Getting around to what? Is there something else you neglected to mention?" Cordy was confused. She didn't like being out of the loop.
"Are you up for it, cause we can wait till morning, if you're..."
"Spill it buddy. Now!" She ordered. And so he began to tell her everything that happened. With each sentence she trembled. She couldn't believe Connor would do that and She couldn't imagine what Angel must have gone through. When he finished he could see her eyes were wet. She obviously shade a few tears.
"Wow." I guess you had some fun on your own." She summed it up, not able to say much of anything.
"I think we all have had a busy day filled with excitement. Why don't we all turn in for the night, and talk about everything tomorrow." Angel offered and everyone seemed to like the idea. Fred and Gunn went up to their room, so did Lorne, while Angel showed Cordy to her room. It was a nice room. Not as big as Angel's but it was clean. **They probably dusted it only today** She smiled to her self. The room was filled with boxes and on the bed was spread a new sheet.
"Nice." She mumbled, thinking of her old beloved apartment. Oh how she missed it and Dennis.
"We can find you another room tomorrow, a bigger room." Angel suggested.
"That's okay. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying here, anyway." Angel hated the fact she didn't feel comfortable around him. "Who knows, maybe I can get my old apartment back. I'm sure if I'll ask Dennis he'll scare away the present tenant." She smiled at the thought.
"Worth a try." He smiled back. "Well sleep tight, I'll see you tomorrow." He walked towards the door.
"Angel?" He turned standing at the doorstep. "Thank you, for all of this." She said as she looked around the room.
"No worries." He smiled and closed the door behind him.
"Well, it's just you and me buddy." She sat on the bed her hand held her belly. "Just you and me against the world."
***
TBC
Hi ppl,
I'm glad people read the story and loved it. I wasn't sure if everyone will like the idea of the child been Groo's, but it was the plausible way. To all you A/C shippers, don't worry its still going to be a A/C fic, and it'll still have plenty of action.
So I hope you keep reading and please review I learn from each one, and your opinion does matter. If there's something you'd like to see, or you don't like something, or do like it. Just let me know.
Thanks Nikka.
Title: A new beginning.
Author: Nikka
Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that **English is not my native tongue** Although Sarah is reproofing my fic, you still may find some spelling & grammar mistakes. You're more then welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.
A special thank you to Sarah for reproofing my story. As of that the upload of the chapters may take longer.
Feedback: I love love love reviews and I'll be sure to mention it at the end of every chapter.
***
"How did you know?" she was shocked. **He couldn't have noticed the belly; there was no way he could. Yeah he has super strength and hearing but there's nothing about seeing through clothes...** and then it hit her. He had super hearing; he must have heard the baby, in some way. **God Cordy, did you really think you could hide this from him?** "Angel I..." She never got to finish her sentence. He got up and turned his back to her, unable to face her. His heart dropped with the sound of the little heartbeat. He wasn't sure whether or not he was happy, sad, disappointed. The range of emotions was huge and right now he felt none. "Can you say something? Anything?" She hoped he wasn't mad, its not like she planned it. This came as a surprise to her as well.
"Is that why they sent you back? He asked, still not facing her.
"After I made my decision, they decided to send me back. They said that now I have a greater mission, to be a mother to this child. They told me it is special and I should guard it with my life." She explained.
"So you're not a higher being any more?" Angel wasn't sure about the details.
"No, not anymore. And I won't be again, at least not for a long while." She replied, hoping he'd look at her. "Angel? Can you turn around? I need to see your face."
"Are you going to tell Groo or raise it on your own? Or not raise it at all?" He asked and this time he turned. Still keeping his distance, but at least he was facing her.
"Raise it at all??" She repeated his question. "If you only knew the crazy thoughts I had concerning this baby." She got up and walked towards him, but still kept some distance between them. "When they told me, I was up there for over a month. They told me my choices and let me decide. It was a long decision, but I decided to keep it and raise it, on my own, without getting Groo involved."
"But its his child too, he deserves to know." Angel protested.
"And he will, someday, but not now. It won't do anyone of us any good. He left because he knew I didn't love him, not the way he loved me. I want him to be happy. I want him to find a wife in Pylea and build a life of his own. He deserves that much." She took a few steps forward. "Nothing needs to change, I'm still the same Cordelia and my feelings are the same." She reached out and touched his hand.
"But it is different." He pulled away. "You're going to have a child from another man, that changes everything." Angel couldn't understand how she could think it would all be the same.
"Angel, Groo is out of the picture, there's only me and an unborn child who will only know you, Fred, Lorne and Gunn as his family. Why does it matter that much?" **if I love him, what's the difference?**
"It does make a difference." Angel insisted.
"What? What difference? My feelings are the same. I still want you, I still want to be with you." She couldn't get him. Why was he so stubborn?
"Cordy it's not that simple. Groo and you are a family, whether you like it or not. He can give you the life you need." He tried to explain.
"You're what I need. There's nothing Groo could have given me that you can't."
Angel looked at her belly with a sad stare. "Except a child."
She finally got it. That's what been eating him, that its Groo's child and not his own. That it could never be his child.
"One child is more than enough, and as I said; this child will know you not Groo..."
"I don't want to cheat Groo of his right to fatherhood." He cut her off.
"No one's asking you to. I said I'm going to raise it on my own and that's what I'll do. I'm not looking for a surrogate father for my unborn child. I can do this on my own." Now she was pissed. ** Is that what he thinks of me? That I'm only looking for a daddy to my baby. God, how arrogant of him.**
"Cordy I didn't mean it like that." He tried to explain.
"Yeah you did." She said coldly. "Could you please take me back to my place, I'm tired and I need a bath."
"Cordy...?"
"Angel, not now okay, I want to go home."
"About your place..." He forgot to tell her.
"What about it? Don't tell me it was rented to someone else?" The look on his face said it all. "It was? I was only gone for 3 months, couldn't you pay the rent for me? I would have paid you back."
"We thought you were gone for good. I saw you up there and we figured you're not coming back." He explained.
"So where is all my stuff? Don't tell me you gave it to charity?" **you better not**
"No, it's all in the hotel, in one of the rooms. I'll take you there." He offered.
"Maybe that's' not the best idea?" She didn't really love the idea of spending the entire night under the same roof with Angel.
"Have a better idea? Or somewhere else to spent the night?" He had a good point; he knew it and so did she.
"Fine lets go."
***
All the way back to the hotel, they didn't speak at all. Angel concentrated on the road, while Cordy stared out the window, avoiding eye contact. Finally they reached the Hyperion, and Cordy got out of the car so quickly she got dizzy. Angel noticed that and quickly came to her aid supporting her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I need some rest." He was still holding her arm when she shrugged it off and walked towards the entrance. He knew she was still angry with him.
She walked in to find Fred, Gunn and Lorne waiting at the lobby. "Hey guys." Lorne jumped up from the couch so did the rest.
"Princess, you're back. You are back right? In the full sense of the word?
"I'm back, for good." She smiled and before she could walk down the stairs all three of them jumped on her and hugged her all at once .At that point exactly Angel walked in. when he saw the display the only thing he could thing of was the baby.
He rushed over to the group hugging. "Hey, hey." He yelled at them. "Back away your smothering her, give her some room to breath." They let go of her surprised by Angel's reaction. Only Cordy knew his real reason for panicking.
"Angel its okay I'm fine." She reassured him.
"I'm getting strength vibes." Lorne declared as he stared at Cordy. "Care to explain, sugar?"
"I was planning to save it till morning, but I guess there's no time like the present. Lets sit down." She sat on the couch as the rest gathered around her. She told them everything, at least the relevant part. She told them about being a higher been and about the reason she was back, which led to the baby. Like Angel they had a lot of questions, which she patiently answered.
"Wow." Fred summed it up for everyone.
"Wow indeed." Lorne took a sip from his drink.
"And we thought we had a crazy summer." Gunn chuckled.
"What do you mean crazy summer? What happen here?" Right then they all figured that Angel didn't tell her about Connor and his little vacation under the sea for the past three months.
"I was getting around to it." He said after all the stares he got from the others.
"Getting around to what? Is there something else you neglected to mention?" Cordy was confused. She didn't like being out of the loop.
"Are you up for it, cause we can wait till morning, if you're..."
"Spill it buddy. Now!" She ordered. And so he began to tell her everything that happened. With each sentence she trembled. She couldn't believe Connor would do that and She couldn't imagine what Angel must have gone through. When he finished he could see her eyes were wet. She obviously shade a few tears.
"Wow." I guess you had some fun on your own." She summed it up, not able to say much of anything.
"I think we all have had a busy day filled with excitement. Why don't we all turn in for the night, and talk about everything tomorrow." Angel offered and everyone seemed to like the idea. Fred and Gunn went up to their room, so did Lorne, while Angel showed Cordy to her room. It was a nice room. Not as big as Angel's but it was clean. **They probably dusted it only today** She smiled to her self. The room was filled with boxes and on the bed was spread a new sheet.
"Nice." She mumbled, thinking of her old beloved apartment. Oh how she missed it and Dennis.
"We can find you another room tomorrow, a bigger room." Angel suggested.
"That's okay. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying here, anyway." Angel hated the fact she didn't feel comfortable around him. "Who knows, maybe I can get my old apartment back. I'm sure if I'll ask Dennis he'll scare away the present tenant." She smiled at the thought.
"Worth a try." He smiled back. "Well sleep tight, I'll see you tomorrow." He walked towards the door.
"Angel?" He turned standing at the doorstep. "Thank you, for all of this." She said as she looked around the room.
"No worries." He smiled and closed the door behind him.
"Well, it's just you and me buddy." She sat on the bed her hand held her belly. "Just you and me against the world."
***
TBC
Hi ppl,
I'm glad people read the story and loved it. I wasn't sure if everyone will like the idea of the child been Groo's, but it was the plausible way. To all you A/C shippers, don't worry its still going to be a A/C fic, and it'll still have plenty of action.
So I hope you keep reading and please review I learn from each one, and your opinion does matter. If there's something you'd like to see, or you don't like something, or do like it. Just let me know.
Thanks Nikka.