A/N: Glad you liked the last chapter, Thanx for all you reviews and I hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 9

Connor looked up from his position on the couch where he was polishing the weapons used on last night's patrol and smiled when he saw Dawn enter the hotel.

"How was breakfast?" He asked.

Dawn nearly skipped over to the seat and threw herself down with a grin on her face. "It was great, well a bit awkward at first but then it was great!"

"So you had a good time then" He concluded grinning at her enthusiasm.

By this time Dawn had remembered who exactly she was talking to, and started to blush lightly. Getting nervous she just nodded and looked around for something to say that wouldn't be entirely pathetic, and zeroed in on the weapons. "You want a hand with those?"

Connor shook his head. "No, just finishing of the last one from last night's patrol"

Dawn sighed and leaned back. "I wish Buffy would let me patrol, but all I get is 'your too young' or 'you would just get hurt'" She snorted. "Well yeah, if I don't get training of course I'll get hurt, she completely overlooks the fact that I continue to get kidnapped by every scaly thing that wants to hurt the Slayer, as least if I had some training I'd have more of a chance of escaping. But that's blonde for ya." She ranted.

Connor put the last of the weapons back in the cupboard and turned to face her. "I could show you some basics if you want." He gave her another smile and Dawn nearly melted on the spot.

She looked up at him nervously. "Are you sure, you don't have to?"

"No, I want to, come on." He led her down to the training room Angel had set up in the basement. Once down there he took off his shoes and socks, motioning for Dawn to do the same and then removed his t-shirt.

Removing her own footwear Dawn looked up and saw a very hot and very shirtless Conner. Trying to balance while taking her socks off and not moving her eyes from Connor turned out to be impossible as she lost her balance and fell backwards with a soft "Oomph"

Looking over from where he was inspecting the weapons he saw a Dawn sitting on the floor. "Are you ok?"

Blushing profusely Dawn just nodded and stood back up incredibly grateful he hadn't seen her ungraceful fall.

He decided to forgo the weapons and just start with hand to hand first. Moving over he stood next to her and moved into fighting stance. "Now, the first thing you need to learn is balance..."


An hour and a half later, after ringing Angel's mobile and finding it in the lobby, and conducting a search of the hotel Cordelia found them in the training room, Dawn was standing in the centre of the room, a sword in her hand, with Connor behind her, his hands over hers, slowly guiding the sword threw the air.

Feeling Angel come up behind her and gently wrap his arms around her waist she leaned back and rested her head on his chest.

"Look familiar?" He asked in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the teen's.

She sighed. "Yep, it's the Buffy and Angel rerun show."

He spun her around to face him and kissed her softly. "I was thinking more along the lines of our old training sessions."

"I'm ok with it Angel, I am, but seriously you cant tell me it doesn't remind you of you and Buffy."

He looked up to see that Dawn had spun around and now they were lost in each other's eyes, and had a brief flash of a training session with Buffy that seemed eerily familiar. "Maybe it does." He admitted. "But Connor's not me, and Dawn's not Buffy. Maybe they can make work what we couldn't." He looked back down at Cordelia. "That doesn't mean I would change anything, I'm happy where I am, and that's with you. Forever and Always. I love you Cor." He whispered.

"I love you too." Wrapping her arms around the back of his neck she kissed him, all of her feeling and all of her passion forced into one kiss, reaffirming her love for him.

"God, get a room." They broke apart and found both Dawn and Connor pretending to gag with wide grins on their faces.

Giving them a mock glare they glanced at each other and Angel nodded. "I'll get Dawn, can you handle Connor?"

"You bet I can"

Dawn now realizing what they were talking about started to back away. "No, no way, please Angel, don't do this."

Giving her an evil smirk, worthy of Angelus, Angel started to advance towards her.

Dawn gave a loud squeal and took off running, only to realize the training room only had one exit. The one right behind Angel, she started begging again.

Meanwhile Connor had no idea what was happening, judging by Dawn's reaction he decided whatever it was wasn't good and started moving backwards too, Cordelia chasing after him.

Ten minutes later the four of them were collapsed on the training room floor in a fit or giggles. Angel had caught Dawn pretty easily before attacking her with tickles, Conner had lasted an impressive 28 seconds longer before being caught by Cordelia and tortured in a similar fashion.

Once they had all managed to catch their breaths, Angel inquired about her breakfast with her father.

Dawn explained about the money in her and Buffy's accounts and what that would mean for them, and also the money for her birthday.

"You know what that means, don't you?" Cordelia said.

Dawn grinned at her. "Shopping!" Both girls cried.

"What's this about shopping?" Faith asked, poking her head though the door.

Standing up Cordelia grinned. "Dawnie got money from her dad, we're going shopping."

"Cool, Wes's got everyone's paychecks up here, you mind if I come along Little D?"

"Not at all" Dawn said. She turned to look at Connor. "You wanna come with."

Connor shrugged and was about to agree when Angel cut in. "I don't think so. It's my fatherly duty to save my son from that kind of torture"

Cordelia poked her tongue out at him. "Spoilsport"

Angel grinned at her. "Yup, the poor boy would never recover from shopping with you alone, let alone all three of you put together."

"I been shopping with Cordelia before dad." Connor argued.

"That was for your clothes son, Cordelia shopping for Cordelia is never something you want to experience, think of the worst pain imaginable, then times it by a hundred." He said seriously.

Connor shuddered at the thought. "On second thought I might just stay home."

"Sorry Cordy but your worse then B" Faith added.

"I so am not" Cordelia protested.

"You so are" Faith countered.

"She couldn't possibly" Dawn said.

"Oh yes she could."

The two males watched as they bantered back and forth, their heads swinging so fast it's surprising they didn't get whiplash before Angel held his hands up and yelled. "Alright"

The three women stopped and turned to him and he withered a little under their glares. He gave them a nervous smile. "I'm just gonna go upstairs now, come on Connor." He grabbed his sons shoulder and pushed him up the stairs in his haste to get out of the room.

The girls let out a giggle as Connor tripped over his feet from his father's shove and nearly fell on his face.

Cordelia looked over at the two brunette's. "C'mon, now's the perfect time to ask for the car."

The three women, a Slayer, a Seer and a Key entered the lobby to find Angel and Connor slumped on the lounge and Wesley behind the desk, an amused smile on his face obviously having heard about the training room.

Walking over to Angel, Cordelia sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Sweetie?"

"Yes?" Angel asked warily.

"You love me don't you?"

"You know I do Cor. What do you want?"

Looking over at her partners in crime, she saw them trying to hold back their laughter. Turning back to Angel she gave him a hundred watt smile. "Will you let us borrow your car to go shopping."

"Cordelia, you took it this morning!" He cried.

Cordelia nodded her head. "I know but Dawn was in a very delicate mood this morning, she was going to a very emotional breakfast, we couldn't have made the girl walk all that way. And she really needs to be cheered up, look at the poor girl."

Dawn surpressed her grin and placed a suitably distressed look over her features, making sure to use the puppy dogs eyes to their full potential.

Angel groaned. He was a sucker and he knew it. "Fine you can take the car, just be careful." He warned.

With a laugh, Cordelia gave him a quick kiss and jumped off his lap. "C-mon ladies, shopping times a-wasting"

The three grabbed their purses and left the hotel, their laughter still echoing long after they were gone.

End Chapter.

A/N 2: Next chapter, Willowand Buffy arrive, and Cordelia has a vision.