Chapter 19
Friday night, after the women returned from their shopping, they all had supper then left to go to the church for the rehearsal of Kathleen's baptism. As they entered the church they saw Fr. Barris up at the front with two other families that were there to receive instructions as to what was going to happen during the Mass. The priest saw Angel and his family and waved to them to come forward. It was a large group that walked forward to join the other two families.
"Hello everyone, please take a seat. Angel, Cordelia, Mary and Wesley please take the second row. Angel should sit at the end then Cordelia, then Mary and Wesley. Everyone else can sit to their left. This is the seating positions that you will take during the Mass. Your rows will be marked with signs for the parents last name." Fr. Barris paused while he waited for everyone to take their seats.
"Now that we have everyone here we can start. I won't introduce you individually I'll just state the last names. There will be three children and one adult that will be baptized on Sunday. The first one will be Joseph Clark, then Diana Baca then Mary Kathleen Martin. The fourth one is an adult that will be here on Sunday."
Fr. Barris continued telling everyone exactly what would be said and how they were to respond. All of this took a total of thirty minutes. When they were done and the rest left Giles, Dr. Martin and Connor stayed behind for a few minutes and talked to Fr. Barris. Angel and the rest were at the back of the church waiting for them.
Angel was watching Connor as he genuflected towards the alter before turning to leave. In the deepest recesses of his heart, Angel knew that the fourth person was Connor. He didn't want to say anything but he felt his heart almost bursting with pride in his son.
When Dr. Martin, Giles and Connor joined them they left the church, piled into Cordelia's mini van and Wesley's SUV and left. Angel was leading the way and as they came close to the Hotel he heard Wesley honking his horn at him so he slowed down and let him pull up along side of him. He opened his window when Fred opened hers.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked. "Nothing, we want to stop for ice cream." Fred yelled. "Okay." Angel yelled back and then slowed down and followed Wesley. Wesley pulled into the Dairy Queen that was down on the corner from the Hotel and they all got out. It was a warm night so they all stayed outside to eat their ice cream. Cordelia had to stay in the van with Kathleen so they all stood around the van and eating their cones, drinking their milk shakes or ice cream sundays.
"You know Fred this is a tradition in Sunnydale for the Scoobys. Especially after an encounter with whatever the night brings. Even if their isn't an encounter we still have ice cream at night. We did it all of the time when we were going to high school and we kept that up as much as possible after we graduated. I even got Angel to start eating ice cream when he was with us." Buffy said.
"Spike you should try this syrup Cordelia made out of blood. I can use it on ice cream it's so thick." Angel said as he gave Cordelia her chocolate shake. "If you like it Spike I can give Buffy the recipe and some of the syrup. I made a large batch just last week." Cordelia said.
"Thanks I think I'll try it tomorrow." Spike said.
Angel noticed that Dr. Martin looked tired and everyone seemed to be just about done.
"Lets go everyone. Two of my girls here are mighty tired." Everyone knew who it was because Kathleen was crying and Dr. Martin was sleeping in between licks of her ice cream cone. Giles finally took it from her and threw the rest away. He helped her to get into the van and sat next to her as she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Everyone else loaded up and they left for the Hotel.
It was 11 o'clock by the time they got home. Angel pulled up to the back and let everyone get out then he parked the van. Cordelia was already upstairs while Dr. Martin and Giles were still making their way upstairs.
"Would you like me to carry you Mom?" "Would you Angel?" Dr. Martin asked him. She was practically walking in her sleep. Angel lifted her in his arms and took her to her room as Giles followed. He put her down on the bed and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Mom. Goodnight Giles." "Goodnight Angel."
Before he left Dr. Martin called to him. "Angel come here for a second I want to ask you something." Angel came back to the bed and sat next to his Mom. "I noticed that you've started to call me Momma sometimes, isn't that what you used to call your biological mother?" "Yes I did, does it bother you?" "No that's alright. I just don't want you to feel obligated to do so. I don't want you to ever see me as taking the place of your biological mother, that would show disrespect for her." Angel gave her a kiss on her forehead again. "You don't have to ever worry about that I know the difference Mom because I can still remember my real mother, but my children will know only you and before you know it Cordelia and I will be calling you Grandma so that they can learn how to address you. If things work out the way we are hoping they will we will be calling Giles Grandpa." Angel got up then and left.
Angel went to his room where Cordelia was already in bed and feeding Kathleen. He went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of blood and went over to the T.V. and turned it on. Cordelia came over and joined him on the couch after putting Kathleen in the bassinet.
"Are you going to miss everyone when they go back to Sunnydale?" Cordelia asked as she sat on the couch with her leg under her. She leaned her head against Angels shoulder as they watched the news and the weather for tomorrow.
"Yes, I will miss everyone. I think I will be counting the days before Mom gets back. Lets go to bed Cordy. I'm getting depressed thinking about it. We have a big day tomorrow." Angel got up and held his hand out to Cordy. She just sat there and looked up at him. "Carry me?" Angel bent down and picked her up and carried her to the bed and threw her on it then threw himself on it next to her. Cordelia was laughing as he bounced on the bed and reached over to her and started to tickle her. "Stop, stop your going to make me pee all over the sheets." Angel stopped then got up and turned the T.V. and lights off. "Go to sleep little girl before I take you over my knee and spank you." "You would like that wouldn't you?" Cordelia said as she raised herself on her elbow.
"Angel?" "Yes." "Don't you think you should get up and take your clothes off before you go to sleep." "No, I am going to pretend that I am in my Dracula coffin and I am going to sleep all night in it." Angel said as he straightened his body and folded his arms over his chest. Before he knew it he was on the floor with Cordelia looking over the side of the bed.
"Well my lord Dracula if you think you are going to share my bed without taking your clothes off you are sadly mistaken. You can sleep on the floor and pretend you're in your coffin." Angel laid on the floor for a few minutes. He quietly got up then and removed his clothes then crawled into bed next to her. She had her back to him when he got into bed so she reached over and touched him to make sure he had removed all of his clothes. Without saying anything she rolled over and fitted herself under his arm. "This is much better." Cordelia said when she had settled herself in a comfortable position.
The next morning they heard Dr. Martin going around and waking everyone up.
"Get up everyone we have a lot to do today. We have a new soul to be welcomed into the Catholic Church today." You could hear everyone getting up and taking a shower. Along with all of the noise came the cry of a baby. For the first time Cordelia let Kathleen cry without attending to her right away. Angel and Cordelia had just entered the shower and where trying to get ready as fast as possible. As they were drying themselves Angel noticed that her breasts were leaking milk.
"You're leaking my dear." "I know I do that as soon as I hear Kathleen crying. Mom says it's just natures way of getting my breasts ready to feed her. The milk glands start excreting milk when I hear her cry then when I put her to my breast the milk is already in the nipple."
As soon as she was finished drying herself Cordelia went to her daughter and changed her first then fed her. After Angel had shaved and brushed his teeth he came out into the bedroom and dressed. Cordelia was done feeding Kathleen by then and handed her over to Angel to burp while she got dressed. By 11 o'clock everyone was down in the Lobby and waiting on the Princes and her parents to come down. Angel and Cordelia came down through the elevator. "Let's go everyone what are you waiting for?" "We're waiting on you two." "Where is Wesley and Connor?" Angel asked as they started walking to the back. "They're waiting for us in the back."
Everyone filed into the vehicles and Angel waited while Cordelia strapped Kathleen into her car seat. She hadn't put Kathleen's baptismal gown on yet so that it wouldn't get wrinkled or dirty, for now she was clothed in a sleeper to keep her warm. As soon as she got into the van Angel and Spike made a run for it to the van with a blanket held over their heads. As soon as he was in Connor took off for the Church. It was 11:50 when they finally pulled into the side where the covered entrance was. Everyone jumped out and went into the church while Connor and Wesley parked the vehicles. When they entered the side of the church Dr. Martin told the rest to take a seat while they waited for Connor and Wesley. Cordelia took the opportunity to put Kathleen's baptismal gown on. She had also brought along one of the green and white blankets that Angel had bought in Ireland.
As soon as Connor and Wesley came in Dr. Martin lead them to the pew marked Martin Family. As Angel was waiting for the rest to be seated he was looking at the rest of the people in the church. He spotted David and Marissa Morgan along with Bobby and his cousin. Richard was with them also and he stood up and took a picture of Angel holding is little sister. Angel waved at them then he saw Fr. Barris standing at the back and getting ready to start the mass so he sat down as soon as Cordelia entered the pew and sat down.
When it came time for the Baptism Angel was so nervous he almost forgot what he was supposed to say in response to what Fr. Barris was asking. Cordelia saw how nervous he was so she put her arm around his waist. Angel took a deep breath and concentrated on calming his nerves. His arm had started to shake but that was the first thing he concentrated on since he was holding his daughter.
Fr. Barris had gone to each family at first and asked a question, when each parent answered with the appropriate answer he proceeded to baptize the first baby, then the second. Then it was finally Mary Kathleen's turn. Dr. Martin and Wesley followed Cordelia and Angel up to the alter and the baptismal fountain. Fred had gone up also and was standing to the side so she could film the whole ceremony. Angel held his daughter through the whole ceremony. When they were done they were told to go and stand with the other families while the fourth person was called on to come up to the alter to be baptized.
Angel could have sworn that he had a light emanating from his body because he felt that everyone must be able to see the pride that he had in his son at that time. As Connor started to walk up to the alter along with Giles Dr. Martin came forward to stand by Connor and Giles. Connor turned to Angel and Cordelia and asked them to stand by him. Fr. Barris then proceeded to baptize him. When it was all done and Fr. Barris presented the newest members of the Catholic Church and asked everyone to welcome them Angel pulled Connor into a bear hug. He hugged Connor so tightly and for so long that Connor had to remind him that he needed to breath more frequently then his father. Angel let go of him and Cordelia came to him and gave him a hug and kiss on his cheek also. Connor looked at his sister, gave her a kiss and congratulated her also.
After mass was over they all went over to Lorne's Carritas and spent the rest of the day celebrating. Lorne had closed the bar just for the baptismal party and when they came in they were greeted with a banquet of food and blood. David Morgan had brought the blood that was from his prize winning cattle along with some sheep blood for Angel. The rest of the food was Mexican food of all kinds so Fred was in seventh heaven.
After eating Angel was leaning back in his chair and playing with his daughter. Wesley had already had some alcohol so he was more relaxed then usual. He came over to Angel and asked him to let him hold his Godchild for awhile.
"No, I'm playing with her go and make your own daughter. I think Fred is the one that is ripe for the picking right now." Wesley just looked at Angel. Then he stood up straight, pulled up his pants and with his hands on his hips he said 'Alright since you don't want to share I think I will do just that.' Wesley turned and went to Fred. To Fred's surprise Wesley pulled her up from her chair and put her over his shoulder. He then went to Lorne. "Lorne may we borrow your bedroom for a while so that Fred and I can make our own daughter or son for me to play with?" "Yes Wesley you most certainly may borrow my bedroom. Just go through that door over on the other side of the bar. It will be the first door on your left. Good luck." Everyone cheered him on as he left the bar.
"Go get her Wesley, yaaah Wesley!" Everyone clapped as he went through the door. Everyone was so drunk they didn't know what they were doing. Dr. Martin said 'I will be very surprised if Wesley is able to create anything tonight but a headache.' Cordelia, Buffy, Hunter and Marissa all laughed. Hunter and Buffy had only had a couple of drinks and were now drinking coffee. Marissa couldn't drink since she was pregnant. Cordelia wasn't drinking because of her having to take care of Kathleen. But all of the men were drunk to the point of hardly being able to stand. Connor had learned the hard way not to drink to the point of being drunk when the men had been stuck in the Hotel to celebrate Angels bachelor party. The next morning he was so sick that the lesson of 'what goes down will come back up the next day' stuck.
It was now 12 midnight and Cordelia was tired and needed to get Kathleen home and in her bassinet. Wesley and Fred were coming back from Lorne's bedroom just as Cordelia was going to stand up and tell everyone that she was leaving. At the same time Connor was taking movies of all of the participants of the party. When he saw everyone turned to watch Wesley and Fred come back into the room he turned the camera on them also.
Wesley saw the others watching him. "Well did you put your order for your own princes or prince in with Fred?" Angel asked him.
"The order has been stamped, sealed and delivered. Just to make sure that my order doesn't get lost I registered a second and third order." Wesley swaggered over to his chair and plopped himself down into his chair. "Now it's Spike and Gunns turn to get their family started."
"I think it's time to call an end to these festivities. Ladies gather up your men and pour them into their respective vehicles. I've run out of diapers and the princes's mommy is tired. Lorne thank you for letting us have our party at Carritas. I know that normally we would have been up later celebrating but now we have a special little someone that we have to take care of." Cordelia bundled up Kathleen and placed her in her carrier. "Lorne do you mind holding all of Kathleen's gifts here and I'll send Connor over tomorrow to pick them up?" "Sure Cordy, no problem."
It took Cordelia a total of 10 minutes to put Kathleen into her car seat. It took her and Connor a total of 20 minutes to get Angel out of Carritas and into the van and strapped in. When Connor was done with Angel he had to help his grandmother with his Godfather. He was a lot easier since even drunk Giles was a proper gentleman. That is if you didn't count him missing the step up to the van, several times, or hitting his head against the top of the door. Eventually though he was able to just crawl in on his hands and knees to the seat at the back.
Poor Connor had to endure a lot of kissing and hugging and a stained white shirt and jacket. Angel kept on saying how much he loved Connor and how proud he was of him.
"When you told me he was a happy drunk you didn't tell me he became a blubbering idiot also." Connor said as he and Cordelia had half carried and half walked Angel to the van.
"Sorry Connor, I've never seen him like this." Cordelia said as they finally got him into the seat. As they got him strapped in and Giles was in Cordelia and Connor loaded up also and they left for the hotel. Angel was singing an Irish song at the top of his lungs. Connor looked at Kathleen. She was smiling and giggling at what she couldn't tell. Connor looked at the back of the van.
"How are you doing Grandma?" Connor asked.
"Okay, he's sleeping now." Giles was laying down and had his head in Dr. Martins lap. "He is going to be sick as a dog tomorrow morning. Are we going to engage in the usual punishment in the morning Cordelia?" "Normally I would do that Mom, but look at Kathleen. See how happy she is. All evening she has been smiling and giggling along with her Daddy. That tells me that if I make Angel suffer then she will be a very unhappy baby."
"We better talk to Buffy, Fred and Hunter before we go to bed then and find out what they are going to do and let them know that the usual will have a bad affect on Kathleen." Dr. Martin told Cordelia.
Cordelia was pulling into the parking lot of the Hotel. She pulled up to the back door of the Hotel and got out. She then opened the two side doors and Connor and her took Angel out of the passenger seat. "Take him over to the bench in the garden Connor then come back and help Grandma with Giles." Connor helped Angel to the bench and had to endure some more hugging and kissing. After he made sure that Angel would stay sitting on the bench he went back to the van and helped with Giles. Cordelia unloaded Kathleen from her car seat and took her over to the garden along with her diaper bag. "The keys are in the van Connor would you park it please?" "Sure, I'll be right back."
As Connor pulled the van out to park it Fred pulled up to let her passengers out. As each car unloaded it's drunken passengers Cordelia directed them to sit on the bench with Angel. They were so drunk that they didn't ask questions they just did what she told them. By the time all of the drivers came back the men were all singing 'There's no Business like Show Business'.
The men were holding onto each other like they were in a chorus line. Cordelia gave Dr. Martin Kathleen and she got at the end of the chorus line by Angel and joined in but started them going into the hotel. The other women just watched in amazement as they followed her in.
Fortunately all of this wasn't going to be lost. Connor had the movie camera going and caught the whole thing. As the Chorus Line made its way into the hotel, the women followed. Cordelia was having a ball also as she thought of ways to dance and go up the stairs at the same time. Each woman took control of their men as they came to their bedrooms. Dr. Martin put Kathleen on her parents bed then ran to get control of Giles as he finally arrived at his bedroom. Connor helped Gunn to get in his bed and brought him a tall glass of water and put it by his bed then left. As usual Connor was hungry so he went to the kitchen and made himself a huge sandwich and went back to his room. It was now 3 a.m. in the morning and the hotel was finally quiet after a long day.
No one got up until 12 noon the next day. Since the women had very little to drink they were the first ones to come downstairs. Cordelia had come down first and was making lunch for everyone. She just put platters of lunch meat and lettuce, onions, tomatoes and other things that she thought everyone might want to put on a sandwich, onto the table. Everyone could come down and make their own sandwich if they wanted and sit down or go and sit somewhere else if they couldn't stand the noise. For what was to come she wanted front seat. She didn't want to be busy getting things for anyone.
The women came down first. They each did as Cordelia did and made their own sandwiches and sat down and waited for the show to start. The first one down was Spike. He didn't show any reaction to last night, but he did just walk into the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of cold sheep's blood. He walked over to the table and sat down next to Buffy. Instead of drinking the blood right away he just put the glass to his forehead and rolled it back and forth.
The next one to come down was Giles and Gunn. Gunn didn't come down at his usual pace instead he held onto the hand rail and took each step very slowly. Giles started to take the stairs at his usual pace but quickly changed his mind and grabbed onto the rail after Gunn. It took them several minutes to make their way to the table. No one said anything.
Mike came down next. He came down the stairs at his usual pace and didn't seem to be bothered by last nights celebration at all. "Good morning everyone, or should I say good afternoon." In return he got good afternoon from all of the women and the men just mumbled something unintelligible.
The last one to come down was Angel. He didn't dare take the stairs though, he didn't trust himself to land on his feet when he got to the bottom. As he came out of the elevator he made his way to the kitchen and did the same thing as Spike. Like Spike he took his seat at the table and put the cold glass of blood to his head and rolled it back and forth.
Cordelia decided that it was time to commence with the modified torture.
"Connor I was going through the mail and I found an envelope that I think you have been waiting for." Cordelia said this as loud as she could without sounding as though she was doing it on purpose.
Connor moved his chair back and made as much noise as possible. He ran over to the Lobby counter looked through the mail and found the one that had his name on it. He ran back to the table and sat down. He just looked at it instead of opening it right away.
"Well open it and tell us if you passed or not." Fred said. She was almost as excited as Connor. Everyone's eyes were on him now. "Here, you open it." Connor gave the envelope to Fred. She took the envelope and carefully opened it.
"To Connor Martin:
We are pleased to inform you that you have passed your GED tests and out of the 200 people that took the test you have placed second. Congratulations, we will be sending you a list containing your scores on each test and your diploma within the next five days."
Fred jumped up from her chair and went to Connor and hugged him. You did it, I told you, you would pass. Wesley reached over and shook Connor's hand and congratulated him. Wesley winced as Connor shook his hand vigorously. "Easy boy, easy that hand is attached to my body which is very tender right now. Well have to talk with your father about where you want to go to college. With grades like you have I am sure that you could get into almost any college."
"We don't have to do that right away though do we? My head is still swimming with the fact that I passed." Connor said as he looked at his letter.
"Can we see the letter Connor?" Angel asked in a quiet voice. Connor easily heard him and brought the letter down to his father and Cordelia so they could see it. After reading it Angel got up and hugged Connor and congratulated him and Cordelia did the same.
"Connor as your graduation present I want you to delay going to Sunnydale tonight and instead go tomorrow so that we can buy you a car, or truck or whatever you want tonight." Connor shook his fathers hand and hugged him. "Thanks Dad." Connor was grinning from ear to ear as he ran upstairs.
"Now my fellow sufferers. I am going to tell you about a secret place that I found up on the fifth floor. It's not cleaned, it's not furnished but it does have one thing that we are in desperate need of right now and that's quiet. It's also dark and naturally cool. I am going up their and sleep the rest of the day. If anyone wants to join me you are more than welcome. No women are allowed up there today." Angel left then to go upstairs to his fifth floor room. Wesley, Gunn, Spike, and Giles followed him. Mike was the only one that stayed behind.
"Why are you the only one staying behind Mike?" Hunter asked. "I took something to help me get over the hangover. I have to be on call all of the time so I can't afford to let a hangover take me down."
"Well ladies I guess we are on our own today. Mom are you up to a little trip to David and Marissa's house today?" "No, not today Cordy. I am still hurting from yesterday so I am going to take it easy today. What are you going to David and Marissa's for?" Dr. Martin asked.
"While the men are resting from yesterdays party I am going to go shopping for a dog for Connor. I want to go see the Dog Trainer that works for David and see which one will be the best one for him. Hunter could you come with me? I don't think Angel would be very happy if I went alone."
"Sure Cordelia. When do you want to leave?" Hunter asked as she started to get up.
"As soon as we can clean the kitchen and I can get Kathleen ready. So say in 30 minutes?" "I'll be ready. Does anyone else want to go?" Hunter asked. "I do." Fred and Buffy's hand went up.
"Okay then let me call Marissa first to see if she will be home along with the trainer." Cordelia went to her desk and made the call to the Morgan house. She was on the phone for about fifteen minutes then came back to the rest and told everyone that Marissa and the trainer would be there for the rest of the day.
"Why don't you go and get ready Cordy, we're almost done here." Fred said.
"Okay, I'll be back down as soon as I can. Come on Kathleen lets get you ready to go and see Marissa." Cordelia picked up her daughter and headed upstairs.
Twenty minutes later they were all loaded up in Cordelia's van and headed for Marissa's. Cordelia had let Dr. Martin know when they were leaving and when she thought they may be back. "Don't let Connor know what we are doing though okay?" "Okay Cordelia, your secret is safe."
They were gone the rest of the day at the Morgans. To Marissa and Davids delight Cordelia left Kathleen with them while she was talking to the trainer for most of the day and he was taking her to several different breeders of dogs that he thought would fit into Angel Investigations. It was six in the evening by the time they got home. Cordelia had made her choice and had brought the puppy home with her but she left it in her van in a carrier until Connor, Angel, and Wesley left to go and shop for a car for Connor.
Because of what was happening Buffy and Spike said that they would wait one more night and leave on Tuesday.
When the ladies came in they were surprised and glad that the men had fixed dinner and it was on the table and waiting for them. Wesley, Connor, and Angel had already eaten while Spike, Gunn, Giles, and Mike had decided to wait for the ladies.
As soon as they walked through the door Angel said they were going to go to the dealer and probably wouldn't be back until 10 or so. As soon as they left Cordelia went out to the van and brought the puppy in. "Fred I never had a dog so what do you recommend we feed him until Connor can pick up some puppy food?" "We can cook some ground meat and mix it with a hand full of rice. That should keep him happy for the rest of the night. I'm going to take him out to the garden first and see if he has to go potty."
Cordelia watched her for a while then went into the kitchen to cook the food for the puppy. Greg Steel, the dog trainer for David, had taken them to a breeder of German Shepherds that he knew personally. The puppy that they were shown had been given to the breeder as payment for stud service from their International Champion male. The puppy was already 3 months old with its ears already starting to stand up straight. It was the classic black and silver coloring. Greg was an AKC Judge for the
working breeds so Cordelia knew that he was an expert on these dogs. He told Cordelia that this puppy was an excellent example of what the breed should look like and that if they would ever want to show him he would surely be a Champion. That had sold Cordelia on the puppy.
Since the puppy's Sire was an International Champion and he had such excellent conformation the Breeder was asking for $800. Cordelia wrote a check and she was given a carrier, collar and leash along with all of the papers on the puppy.
Wesley, Connor and Angel had talked about what make of vehicle that Connor wanted. To both Wesley and Angels surprise Connor said he wanted a Dodge Van. As a car salesman walked them through the new vans Connor was looking carefully at each of the listings of all of the features and the price. Wesley was checking along with Connor but decided to hold back and see how he did.
Eventually Connor choose a black van with an upgraded interior that had 2 bucket seats in the front and two in the middle. The rest of the van was taken up by a table and two more bucket seats. The middle and back seats swivelled so that they could turn towards the back. The windows had dark tinting on the sides and back that pushed the legal limit. The interior had a
beautiful soft gray cloth on the seats and walls with the front of the dash board having a wood grain trim. The radio had both a cassette and CD player with 6 speakers through out the van.
"I want this one Dad." Connor forgot all of his research, all of the speech he had planned for his discussion with the salesman. Wesley and Angel cracked up when they saw Connor hug the van.
"Like Father like Son." Wesley said. He put his arm around the salesman's shoulder and started walking back to his office so that he could start haggling about the price. Connor started to follow them but Angel called him back.
"Why don't you stay out here Connor. I think your just like me. When it comes to buying a vehicle my brains fall out and the salesman gets whatever they want and I'm out a few thousand dollars that I didn't have to pay. Wesley is good at haggling with them. That's why I took him with me when I went to buy Cordelia her van."
"Yeah. I'm so happy right now I don't think I could talk to him let alone have an intelligent discussion on the price of the van." Connor said. They just waited outside and continued to look at the van while Wesley took care of the price and paper work. When it was time for a signature Wesley told the salesman to have Connor and his father paged. Since Connor was going to be the owner of the van his signature was needed on everything but when it came time to pay Angel signed for everything. Before they left Wesley called their insurance company and had the van and Connor covered.
By 10 o'clock they were driving up to the back of the hotel. Angel rode with Connor as they drove back to the hotel. Connor pulled up to the very entrance to the garden in the back. As soon as he came to a stop he jumped out of the van and ran into the hotel and yelled for everyone to come and see his new van.
Unknown to Connor Angel had talked to Cordelia through their link to each other and he had told her they were on their way back with Connors new van. Cordelia asked Gunn to hide in the back with the puppy, which she had put a big blue ribbon on, so that he could put the puppy in Connors van when he came in to call everyone to look at his van.
As everyone came running outside to see his van Connor turned the lights on and opened the side door. Gunn had put the puppy in the front drivers seat and Connor had opened the side door to the van and climbed in. He was so involved in showing his beautiful new van that he didn't notice the pair of small eyes under two big ears looking at him curiously.
Cordelia saw that he didn't notice the puppy so she looked at Gunn. "Where is he?"
"On the drivers seat." Gunn pointed at the front as he answered her.
Fred wanted him to see the puppy also so she said, "turn the light on in the front Connor so we can see what it has."
Connor came forward and reached up to the overhead light. As he reached for the light he hesitated. Something moved on the front seat.
Everyone was quiet and waiting to see what he would do when he finally noticed the puppy.
Connor turned the light on. He saw the puppy and his eyes started filling with tears.
"Hi fella where did you come from?" He picked the puppy up and sat back on the seat. The puppy got all excited and started licking his face.
Connor looked at Angel and then at Cordelia. He got out of the van and hugged Cordelia and his Father. "I don't know when I have been so happy. Thank you, thank you both."
"You better park your van Connor and get yourself to bed." Angel said after blowing his nose.
Connor climbed into the drivers seat and put the puppy in the passenger seat. Everyone else backed away from the van and went back into the hotel. Connor followed them all in after a few minutes after giving the puppy the opportunity to go potty in the garden. Everyone had headed up to their respective rooms. When Connor came upstairs he knocked on his Fathers bedroom door.
"Come in Connor." When Connor opened the door the puppy came in and went running to Angel as though he knew him. He picked the puppy up and he started to lick Angels face. Angel started playing with him. Cordelia was watching him playing with the puppy and suddenly a light went on in her head.
"You've seen this puppy before haven't you? You choose this puppy before I did didn't you Angel." Cordelia was wondering why he didn't tell her he had chosen a puppy already.
"Guilty as charged. When Greg was told that you were coming to see him about looking for a puppy for Connor he called me and let me know what was going on. He asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him to act as though I hadn't been there but to lead you to the puppy that I had chosen. I did that because I wanted you to have the fun of looking for the right puppy and I also wanted to see if you would choose the same one as I did."
"I know why I chose him but why did you choose this one?" Cordelia asked.
"Watch." Angel picked up the puppy again and held it close to his face. He changed into his Vampire face. The puppy looked at him and at first he growled and his hair stood on end then he sniffed Angels face and his tail started wagging again and he started to lick his face again.
"He did the same thing when I visited his litter with Greg. All of the other puppies growled and barked at me and went running to the corner of the room. When that happened I knew that he was the one. I told the owner that I would pick him up the next evening and that I wanted him to have a bath and all of his papers ready." Angel put the puppy down then and the puppy went running to Cordelia. He started smelling her hands and arm.
"Connor and Cordelia, I want you to understand that I had to make sure that this puppy would except me because in the past I've had to kill some dogs that, out of fear, attacked me." Connor and Cordelia were quiet for a while as they thought about what Angel had said. Connor and Cordelia then returned their attention to the puppy.
"I think you smell Kathleen. Let me get her so you can meet her." Cordelia picked Kathleen up carefully and brought her over to the bed where the puppy was.
"Connor, come over here and hold him so you can make sure that he doesn't put his big paws on your little sister. Connor picked his puppy up and held onto his front legs as he sat on the bed next to Cordelia. He carefully let the puppy stick his nose into the blanket that Kathleen was wrapped in. The puppy seemed to sense that this was a special person and he had to be careful around it so when he poked his nose at it he did so very gently and barely touched Kathleen. The puppy looked up at Cordelia then Connor as though he was asking a question.
Connor saw the questioning look on the puppy so he carefully pulled Kathleen's hand out of the blanket and held it towards the puppy so he could smell her hand. Then he said "Kathleen, this is Kathleen." The puppy smelled her little hand then licked it and started to wiggle as though he wanted to get down.
"Connor I am going to talk to Greg and see if he knows of a reputable dog trainer in Sunnydale. You are going to have to start this little guys obedience training as soon as possible and I don't know too much about it. When I was young we had dogs on the family farm but they were kept for herding and guarding the cows and sheep and I had very little to do with them. My Father, being the way he was, didn't want me to have anything to do with them except feeding them. He was afraid that I would love them too much and make pets of them. This little guy though I think will be your constant companion which means he has to learn to be a part of the team when we are fighting. For now though all he has to do is learn basic commands. I want you, while your gone for the summer. to learn about wolves and how the family units work. Even though this is a domesticated dog he still thinks like a wolf, as far as the pack mentality goes. When you train him Connor use your mind as well as the spoken word. I have the ability to communicate with wolves to a certain degree and whether you have this same ability or not I don't know, but try it."
"How does he talk to you?" Connor was excited about the possibility that he could talk to his new companion.
"Remember when you touched Cordelia's stomach when you tried to communicate with Kathleen before she was born?" Angel asked. "Yes." "What you saw in Kathleen's mind is pretty much the same thing that I see in his mind, it's all pictures of his litter mates, his mother and father, and the space that they were kept in. Unlike Kathleen though he will never be able to give you words only pictures. You can give him words, which will be commands associated with pictures but that's all."
The puppy wanted out so he went to the door and scratched at it then turned and looked at Connor. "Try communicating with him now, see if he will tell you what he wants." Angel told Connor.
Connor concentrated on the puppies mind and he got a picture of the garden dirt. "I think he wants to go pee because he has a picture of the garden in his mind." "Good that's what I am getting also. Why don't you two go to bed when he's done and we'll talk some more tomorrow."
Connor left with the puppy then and they ran downstairs to the garden. Connor had to pick him up to go downstairs since stairs where new to him but put him down once they got down to the first floor. When he was done they went back to Connors room and Connor quickly took his clothes off and jumped into bed. He picked up the puppy and put him beside him on the bed. It had been a big day and they were both tired. The puppy squirmed his way up and under Connors arm and within minutes they were both sleeping.
The next morning everyone was up and downstairs at the dinning room table by 9 A.M.. Fred had stacks of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages that the ladies were just bringing in to the dinning room when Connor came downstairs with the puppy. He took him out to the garden right away after saying good morning to everyone. They heard Connor calling the puppy Toby. Fifteen minutes later he came back in and went to the kitchen then came out again.
"Uh Fred do you have something that I can feed the puppy this morning?" "Sure Connor there is some hamburger left in a container, it's already cooked. Warm it up along with a handful of rice. He should be able to eat about 2 cup fulls of food." "Thanks."
Connor quickly fed the puppy then came and sat down at the table for his breakfast. Everyone was watching him pile on the pancakes, eggs, and sausages. He got up and went into the kitchen to get a large glass of milk. He also poured a small bowl of milk for his puppy then went back to the table. As he was shoveling the food into his mouth everyone was still watching him.
"Connor slow down your going to make yourself sick." His grandmother said. "What's the hurry?"
"I want to go over and see Greg so he can show me what I should be teaching Toby to do. I already called him to say I was coming over."
"So you've decided to call him Toby?" Angel said. "Yeah, I heard the name somewhere and I thought he looks like a Toby. I tried calling him different names and he didn't seem to like them so I tried Toby and he seemed to like it."
"Has he had an accident inside yet?" Cordelia asked. "No he seems to be doing pretty good so far." Connor had slowed down in eating his food since they had started to engage him in conversation.
"Wesley, now that I have passed my GED what do we do about college?"
"That depends on you right now Connor. Where do you want to go to school?" Wesley asked as he pushed his plate away and drank his coffee.
"Now that I have Toby I want to stay here. How about UCLA? I've been checking out what they have to offer and I think that they have an excellent program for Police work and business administration." Connor finished his breakfast and leaned back in his chair.
"Besides having Toby now I just don't want to be away from home again. I want to spend as much time here as I possibly can. I want to be able to play with Kathleen as she grows and if I go away I wont be able to fight demons and Vampires and I may get out of shape like you old people." He said this with a grin. "My senses and skills might start to get rusty if I don't push myself to the limit once in awhile."
"I guess that's it then, before you go to see Greg lets go to UCLA and register you. We can pick out your first semester classes while we are there and possibly see a counselor." Wesley got up from the table. "I'll meet you down here in 15 minutes. Wear something nice Connor."
Both Fred and Wesley were downstairs and waiting for Connor within fifteen minutes. Connor came running down the stairs just 3 minutes later.
"Where is Toby?" Fred asked when she didn't see him tagging along. "Grandma and Giles are puppy sitting." Connor said. Wesley was looking him over to make sure he was dressed appropriately.
Connor noticed him checking him out. "Do I pass inspection?" "Yes you'll do. Lets get going now we have a lot to get done today. Do you have your letter stating that you passed your GED?" Connor pulled it out of his jacket pocket and showed it to them. "Good, lets go now."
While Connor was gone for the day Dr. Martin was in her room with Giles and having fun with Toby. At the moment Giles was using a toy rope to play tug of war with Toby and Dr. Martin was resting on the bed. The phone rang and she picked it up.
Dr. Martin was on the phone for almost 30 minutes. When she hung up she continued to lay on the bed. "Giles come and lay down with me so I can talk with you for a few minutes."
Giles went to the other side of the bed and brought the puppy with him. Apparently it was time for Toby's morning nap because he came over to Dr. Martin and pushed his way in between her and Giles. Without thinking about it she started to slowly run her hand over his head and around his ears. She found that it helped her to relax.
"Who was it that called that has you upset?" Giles asked as he laid on his side towards her and supported his head with his hand.
"Giles that was Mike. They sent my uterus and ovaries to a pathologist after they took them out. Mike said that my uterus was blackened on the inside because of when they stuck a wire up inside of me and electrocuted me. It's routine to have the uterus and ovaries examined for any abnormalities. Giles when they examined mine they found an area of tissue that couldn't be explained away as part of the burning from the electricity." Dr. Martin turned on her side and looked at Giles. She had tears in her eyes and that scared Giles.
"Giles, Mike said that it was cancer. He said that in a way the rape was a blessing in disguise. The cancer was just starting to grow and by taking out my uterus and ovaries they got a good head start in fighting it. The pathologist said that he didn't find cancer in any place else but that small patch of tissue. Mike has made an appointment for me with an Oncologist in Sunnydale for next week Monday at nine in the morning."
"What does he think the prognosis is?" Giles asked as he held her closer as though he could protect her from this ancient demon.
"He said, and I agree, that if we fight it aggressively with drugs there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to come back to Los Angeles cancer free."
"And we have to thank what those demons did to you, right?" "Basically, yes, if that hadn't happened to me they wouldn't of had to remove my uterus and I may of not felt the affects of the cancer until it had grown out of my uterus and into other organs and then my chances of survival would have been greatly reduced." Giles wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"We'll get through this together Mary, I'll be with you always." Giles kissed her then and his thoughts were going towards more, but then just as he started to unbutton her blouse Toby started to squirm his way between them.
Giles and Mary looked down at the baby they had consented to take care of for the day.
"I think she may want to go outside. Let's take her for a walk outside and then we need to start packing. We don't have to wait for the rest to be able to leave so we can leave as soon as Connor gets back okay?" Mary asked. She seemed to have a great need to separate herself from the occupants of the hotel.
"Sure Mary we can leave as soon as he gets back, but for now lets take care of our Great Grandchild." Mary laughed at his reference to Toby. They got off of the bed then and took their charge outside to take care of business. While waiting for him to smell every corner of the garden Mary and Giles sat on the stone wall that surrounded the tree in the back. "I can't believe that I am actually taking time to smell the roses as they say." Mary said to Giles.
"I'm glad that you will be with me through this Rupert. I have had to go through so much in my life all alone with no one but God to stand with me. He has been with me throughout my whole life." When Toby came back to them they went back in and started to pack.
"Cordelia." Angel called to her from his chair in their suite. Cordelia was in the bathroom cleaning up their daughter after a particularly nasty dump of some nuclear waste.
"I'll be there in a minute Angel. I'm almost done with the removal of all nuclear waste."
"Are you going to put her down for her nap after you get done?" "Yes, she will be nice and tired after her bath. Why, did you want to do something?" "Yes, I want to start working on your portrait. Do you think you'll be to tired for that?"
When she didn't answer Angel started to get up. Cordelia came out with Kathleen wrapped up in a thick towel just as he was about to get up. "Did you hear me?" Angel asked her. "Yes I heard you. How are you going to want me to pose? Sitting up in a chair in a beautiful gown or is this going to be a nude portrait for just you and I to view. Don't forget that you have to have yours done also."
Angel was quiet while he thought about it. "How about if we have a professional come in here and take some pictures of us in the pose that I want us to be in for the painting. He can take them in all kinds of different lighting then I can draw the pictures and paint from the pictures. Now days the pictures come out so perfect with computer enhancements. What do you think?"
"That sounds good to me, it would save us both a lot of painful and boredom filled hours of posing. But I still want someone else to do your portrait." "Why? I can do mine just as well as yours since they will be done from pictures." "Because another artist will paint you as I see you. If you do your own portrait you might be tempted to make some areas bigger and others smaller."
Angel tried to keep a straight face. "I would never do that Cordelia. I am shocked that you would ever even suggest that I would do that." She knew he was kidding because in the end he failed to keep a straight face. "Oh please Angel, give me a break. If you look up the word vain in the dictionary it would have the words 'Vain - see Angel'." Angel put his drawing pad down and came over to Cordelia, he took her in his arms after she laid Kathleen in her bassinet.
"How can I possibly improve on perfection." Angel said as he pushed her on the bed and started to kiss her. He peeled her clothes off of her like she was a delicate grape whose delicate flesh would tear if he wasn't careful. When he was done she started to take his clothes off also. They spent the rest of the afternoon making passionate love to each other then went to sleep. After they had slept for an hour Kathleen woke up and started crying for attention. Cordelia was still sleeping so Angel got up and picked his daughter up and changed her then brought her to the bed and laid her next to Cordelia.
"How did you get over here my dear?" Cordelia asked when she was awakened by her daughter trying to reach for her breast. Cordelia positioned her so that she could nurse to her hearts content.
"Well what do you think?" Cordelia asked after she made her daughter comfortable. "What do I think about what?" Angel asked as he watched his daughter nursing. He was having fun teasing his daughter and trying to put his face on Cordelia's breast while she was nursing. Kathleen would try pushing him away when he got to close. After a while Kathleen started crying because her Daddy wouldn't leave her Mammas breast alone.
Cordelia slapped Angel on the back of his head. "Angel stop that, you mean thing, why are you teasing her?" "Owww." Angel was laughing as he reached up to his head and rubbed it. "Because I like seeing her reaction. I like seeing her tiny little hands trying to push my big head away. You know she is pretty strong for someone so tiny. I wonder if there are tests that can be performed to measure her intelligence and strengths against other children her age." "I don't know, I think I'll check it out on the internet though. So far Mom has taken care of her, as far as her shots go anyway, she may know of something that can be done. Can you take care of your daughter for a while? I have to put a load of laundry in the washing machine. This kid creates almost as much laundry as you and I put together."
Cordelia got up then and gathered the clothes from the dirty clothes hampers and headed downstairs. When she reached the bottom of the stairs in the lobby she noticed three suitcases were on the floor at the back doors. She ran down stairs then and started the washing machine then went upstairs to get a bottle of water. She poured some into a small milk bottle for Kathleen and then drank the rest and threw the bottle away. On her way upstairs she saw Mom and Giles outside. She put the bottle down on the dinning room table then went outside to join them.
"How's he doing?" Cordelia asked no one in particular as she leaned over the rail that was at the back steps. Both Dr. Martin and Giles turned around.
"He is doing pretty good so far. This is only our second time out here with him but he hasn't had any accidents." Giles said.
"I'm glad your down here Cordelia. I wanted to let you know that Rupert and I will be leaving for Sunnydale as soon as Connor gets back. So we won't be here for dinner." Dr. Martin said.
"If you want to go now Mom we'll take care of Toby." "I was hoping you would say that." Dr. Martin called to Toby who was already answering to his name. He obediently followed them up the stairs. As they came through the back doors Wesley, Fred and Connor were coming in through the front. Toby ran as fast as his little legs could go and practically jumped into Connors arms as he bent down to pick him up. Just like so many other puppies do when they get excited they lose control and urinate on the floor, Toby was no exception. No one yelled at him though because they all understood it was because he was excited.
Connor picked Toby up and of course was rewarded with a thorough cleansing of his face as he went to the kitchen to get some paper towels to clean up after his new friend.
Angel had heard all of the noise and came downstairs with Kathleen. "What's going on down here?" "Connor, Wesley and Fred just got back. Toby was so happy to see Connor that he wet the floor." Cordelia answered. "Who's suitcases are those." Angel asked.
"It's mine and Giles. We were just waiting for Connor to come back. I'm going to get my medical bag and purse then I'll be ready to go."
"Is their something wrong Mom? You look mighty tired as though you haven't been sleeping." Angel asked his mother. "Well Angel that is why I am going to Sunnydale so that I can get some rest and recuperate from the rape and surgery. Other then that Angel I am okay and coping, I just need some quiet time." She gave him a kiss on his cheek then went upstairs.
Angel went the rest of the way down the stairs and to the couch. Cordelia followed him to the couch and gave him the bottle of water for Kathleen. She took the nipple of the bottle into her mouth and started drinking the water. After only a second she pushed it away. She knew that it wasn't milk. Angel tried again to get her to drink the water. She was proving to be just as stubborn as her Daddy.
"She won't take it Cordy, she knows it's water and not milk."
"Lets see how much stronger your mind is over hers. Try giving it to her again and think of what my milk tasted like." Angel tried thinking of what Cordy's milk tasted like and put the image of her breast into Kathleen's mind. Then he offered her the water filled bottle again. She took it and didn't stop until it was empty.
Angel gave the bottle back to Cordelia then burped his daughter. Giles had been watching him all of the time. He came over and sat on the coffee table across from Angel and Cordelia.
"Angel I wanted to tell you that I am going to propose to Mary while we are in Sunnydale. I also want you to know that if she excepts then I will be moving to Los Angeles. I know how hard it would be on both of you to be separated. Buffy has Spike to help her now and they need to be on their own now. Willow knows almost as much as I do now as far as the different types of demons go. Maybe I'll open a magic shop over here also and that will keep me busy." They heard Dr. Martin coming down the stairs so Giles got up and went to her.
"Are you ready now?" "Yes I'm ready." Dr. Martin went to Cordelia and took Kathleen into her arms.
"Good bye my precious Godchild. Your Godmother is going to miss you, but when I come back you will be three months older and more interesting to be with. I understand that all you have on your wee little mind now is your Momma and all that she gives you. As for your Daddy I am going to tell him to stop teasing you. I know he does it just to see what he can make you do, but if he doesn't stop it the next time I have to hypnotize him I am going to suggest that he act like a chicken every time he hears you sneeze or something." Dr. Martin gave her Godchild a kiss and made the sign of the cross on her forehead before giving her back to Cordelia. She gave Cordelia a hug and a kiss then gave her, her blessing.
"Take care of everyone for me Cordelia." "I will Mom, have a good rest and don't let Giles make you do too much research for them." Dr. Martin turned to Angel then.
Angel picked her up as he hugged her and whispered in her ear "I know that something else is wrong Momma, but I respect your right for privacy. When and if you should need me just give me a call and I'll be there as soon as I possibly can. I love you." He gave her a kiss on her cheek then put her down. Dr. Martin was afraid she wouldn't be able to control her voice and tears if she said anything. She gave him her blessing then picked up her medical bag and purse and left with Giles.
Since Connor was going to Sunnydale also he had gone upstairs with Toby and was packing his things. Connor packed as teenage boys packed by throwing everything into his bag. He didn't take anything that even resembled a school book or anything that would even come close to representing knowledge of any kind. He had already signed up for all of the classes that he had to take this coming semester and he knew he was going to be making his brain cells smoke from being over used. Connor had recently discovered the world of Comic Books and that was the only reading material he was taking. He picked up his bag, a couple of hangers that had a suit and a nice pants and jacket that Cordelia had bought him. It was a black corduroy jacket that looked just like the one she had special ordered for Angel. He headed down stairs along with Toby and deposited everything at the back door.
Connor found Angel and Cordelia in his office. Cordelia was nursing Kathleen when he came in. Connor had his camera with him so he could take a picture of them all together. "Can I take a picture of you guys before I leave?" "Wait until she finishes Connor. I don't want people to see the picture with my breast hanging out."
"Did Wesley set up a personal checking account for you today?" Angel asked Connor while he played with Toby. As soon as Toby had seen Angel he had jumped onto the couch and into his lap. Toby just loved Angel for some reason and always came running to him when he saw him.
"Yeah. He put ten thousand in it and gave me a Visa credit card also." "So your all set?" Angel asked. Angel tossed him the keys to the mansion and an extra key that Spike had given him for Buffy's house. Connor was going to need it since he was going to stay at Buffy's house and Spike and Buffy were going to stay at the mansion. That wouldn't happen though until they put Dawn on the plane to join her father in L.A.. Spike wasn't taking any more chances then he had to. School wasn't over for Dawn until next week so she wasn't leaving for at least another week.
While they had been talking Kathleen had finished and Cordelia had covered herself up again. Connor stood up again and prepared to take their picture. Kathleen was now able to hold her head up so Cordelia held her between Angel and her and Toby was between them under Kathleen. Connor took several shots. When he was done they all went into the lobby where they heard Spike and Buffy.
"Let's get going Connor. Do you know how to get there by yourself or are you going to follow me?" Spike asked. "I think I'll follow you, have you two eaten because I haven't and I'm starving." Connor asked. "No, not yet. We can stop at a steak house on our way. That way you can get something for Toby also." Spike said. He turned to Cordelia and Angel and kissed Cordelia goodbye he then turned to Angel and shook his hand but Angel pulled him into a hug. "Take care of my boy Spike. Don't lead him astray. Keep an eye on them Buffy. You know how Spike is." Angel gave Buffy a kiss on her cheek then along with a hug. Buffy gave Kathleen a kiss and told Cordelia "We'll be working on making one of our own again. I hope that Dr. Martins treatment took so that the next one will be a keeper." Cordelia hugged Buffy. "You'll make it this time Buffy. Nothing against you Buffy but I hope that the next time we see you that you and Spike will be getting sick all over the place." They laughed then and Angel helped Spike pick up their suitcases and take them out to their car. They all got in their car and van and left then.
Angel and Cordelia went back in then and they just stood in the middle of the lobby. Angel finally spoke up then. "It's going to be mighty quiet now that they are all gone."
Just as he said that though Wesley, Fred and Gunn came in through the front doors and Cordelia went to the round couch to sit down where she could put Kathleen down. She bent forward with her hands to her head. She was having a vision for the first time in a long time. She wrote down the information as to where a group of teenagers were being attacked.
Angel, Gunn and Wesley went to the weapons cabinet and ran out to Gunn's truck. Fred stayed with Cordelia. Cordelia put Kathleen in the bassinet and pulled it over to the kitchen where she could keep an eye on her as Fred and her went into the kitchen to start dinner. They had to keep on reminding themselves that they only had to fix half as much as they usually did since they were back to the original amount of people again.
THE END
of
THE GIFT
My next and final story will be REDEMPTION. This story will see an invasion of babies that will grow up to create the next generation of ANGEL INVESTIGATION. Angel will finally receive his redemption and Wesley will be the last to leave this world and rejoin his associates.
I want to thank my loyal readers for all of their reviews. Each time I received one it encouraged me to continue. It also put a grin on my face that almost fell off because my face couldn't accommodate all of it. Thank you once again.