At six o'clock that evening, minutes after the sun had gone down, Cordelia's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey." It was Angel. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, all packed and ready to go."
"Alright. Connor and I will be right over."
"OK, bye." Cordelia hung up the phone and looked around the room. She had a carry-on bag full of makeup and other bathroom stuff on the floor. A suitcase with clothes sat on the bed. She picked up the suitcase, slung the bag over her shoulder, and went downstairs to wait for Angel.
He knocked on her door five minutes later. She opened the door and took Connor from him. He grabbed her bags and put them in the trunk while she buckled Connor into his seat. She climbed into the passenger seat as Angel slid behind the wheel.
They were silent for a long time. Cordelia switched through the radio stations before settling on an alternative station. The slow melody of Chris Gaines' 'Lost In You' filled the car.
Angel cleared his throat. "So, um, where exactly am I taking you?"
"Oh. Sorry. My mom's house. 115 Vine. It's off the main road."
"OK. Sounds good. Is that, uh, where Connor and I are staying too?"
"Yeah. If you want, I mean. There's plenty of room. At least that's what she said."
"OK."
They were silent again for a long time. Every so often Cordelia would sigh.
Finally Angel looked at her. "Are you alright?"
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Coming back to Sunnydale, I mean. I don't exactly have a lot of friends there."
"What about Willow? She was always nice to you."
"Yeah, she was so nice to me that she made out with my boyfriend." Cordelia sighed again. "I'm really not still bitter about that."
"Sounds like it."
Cordelia smacked him in the arm. "All I'm saying is Willow and I don't have the best history. Xander and I were never friends. Anya used my pain to change the world. Spike bit me. I don't even know Dawn. And we all know how I feel about Buffy."
"OK, so you didn't exactly get along with the Scooby Gang. But what about Harmony and your other friends?"
"Harmony the vampire? The girls who all left Sunnydale for preppy colleges? Come on, Angel, get real."
Angel shook his head. "OK, well, what about your mom? Aren't you glad to be seeing her again?"
Cordelia sighed, leaning her head back against the seat and closing her eyes. "Angel, my mom and I weren't close. Ever. Between her endless social engagements and the fights with my dad, she just didn't have time for me."
"You have to have some good family memories."
"Oh, sure. Vacations were a blast. Skiing in Aspen, scuba diving in the Bahamas. But we weren't a family there. I did those things by myself. The only time we spent as a family was the plane ride there and back."
"That's really sad."
Cordelia nodded. "I know. Promise me you'll never do that with Connor. Promise me you'll always put him first and always tell him what he means to you."
Angel nodded. "You know I will."
They lapsed into silence again and the next time Angel looked at her, she was gazing adoringly at Connor.
"He really loves you," Angel said.
"I love him too." Her voice had a different quality to it, almost a sad one.
"We wouldn't be able to do this without you, Cordy. I wouldn't."
Cordelia chuckled. "Yes you would."
Angel thought for a moment. "Maybe we could. But I wouldn't want to. He needs you, Cordy. You're like the mother he'll never have."
"I know," she said. "I know."
Angel turned the car onto Vine Street and Cordelia pointed out the house to him. He pulled in the driveway behind several other cars.
"We can just leave the bags for now," Cordelia said. "Should I get Connor?"
"No, I'll get him," Angel said. "You go ahead."
Cordelia walked up the front path and into the front door. "Come in, Angel," she called over her shoulder. Angel came in behind her, Connor sleeping on his shoulder. She heard voices and followed them into the living room. Her mother was sitting on the couch. Sitting in various chairs around the room were Buffy, Spike, and Dawn.
Cordelia stopped short in the doorway. She hadn't expected this.
Her mother looked up. "Delia! You came!"
Cordelia bit her lip. "I told you I would, Mom."
"Yes, yes you did. Come in, dear, and sit down. Oh! You brought a friend."
Cordelia glanced at Buffy, whose gaze was riveted on Angel. Spike was glaring at him, while Dawn was watching Connor. "Uh, yeah. Mom, this is Angel."
"Angel? As in your boss Angel?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. How nice."
Cordelia bit back a sigh. She knew what her mother meant. It wasn't nice, it was strange.
Angel cleared his throat. "Maybe I should go get the bags."
Cordelia nodded and took Connor from him. "Mom, where should we put them?"
"Oh! The guest room is the first one on the right, top of the stairs."
Angel nodded and went outside. Dawn nudged Spike. "He probably needs help."
"So?"
Dawn glared at him. "Spike!"
Spike sighed dramatically. "Oh, alright, Nibblet. I'll go help him."
"Be nice!" she called after him.
Cordelia turned to Buffy, who was watching her, no expression on her face. "What are you guys doing here?"
It was Dawn who answered. "We didn't think your mom should be alone." She laughed as Angel and Spike walked past, Angel carrying everything except Cordelia's carry-on bag.
Cordelia shook her head. "Those two will fight until the day they die."
"Probably," Buffy said. "So. You and Angel sleep in the same room?"
"What's up with you and Spike?" Cordelia shot back.
Victoria Chase looked confused. "What are you two talking about?"
"What are you talking about?" Spike said, following Angel down the stairs.
"Cordelia and Angel," Buffy bit out.
"Buffy and Spike," Cordelia ground out.
Angel and Spike looked at each other uneasily. Finally Dawn spoke up. "Uh, probably not the best topic of discussion, guys."
Victoria spoke as Connor began to cry. "I'm not quite sure I understand."
Cordelia sighed. "I'll explain tomorrow, Mom. Right now I think Connor's ready for bed."
Her mother nodded reluctantly. "Alright, dear. I'll see you in the morning."
Cordelia and Angel said goodnight and took Connor upstairs. Cordelia nudged the bedroom door open with her foot and stepped inside.
The room was large. The walls were painted a light purple. The drapes were white and lacy. A king-sized bed was pushed against the wall. On the opposite wall was a cherry dresser with a TV on top. Beside the bed was a matching cherry nightstand. There was an antique lamp and an alarm clock on the top. There was a large closet across from the bed. Angel had set the luggage in front of the closet and had set Connor's playpen up beside the bed.
Cordelia laid Connor down on the bed and popped a pacifier in his mouth while Angel pulled out Connor's pajamas. Angel changed Connor and put him in the playpen while Cordelia unpacked her clothes.
After a few minutes of silence angel perched on the bed and watched Cordelia. She methodically took a black dress out of her bag and reached for a hanger. Instead of hanging the dress in the closet, however, she held it in her hands and stared at it for a long time.
Angel cleared his throat softly. "Are you alright?"
She chuckled. "Yeah. It's just weird. Everything's changing. Daddy's gone, this is a different house than I'm used to, Dawn, Buffy and Spike…"
"What about Buffy and Spike?"
"Well, Dawn's a little too young for him, don't you think? Think about it, Angel."
"Buffy and Spike…together?" He made a face when she didn't reject his theory. "That's so like him."
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah, OK."
Angel was quiet a few minutes. "Do you think they've…you know?"
Cordelia shrugged. "I don't know, Angel," she said tiredly. She climbed onto the bed beside him. "I just don't know."
Angel opened his mouth to say something but stopped when she stretched out. He groaned. "I'm sorry, Cordy. This is really hard for you and I'm going on about myself."
She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. "It's fine. I know it has to be shocking for you."
"Not the point," Angel said. "Can I get you anything?"
"Sleep," she said. "Just sleep."
Angel nodded. "Then sleep. I'll be here."
