ALWAYS

Chapter 6

Truths

The door of the hotel opened and in hobbled Angel, Wesley and Gunn. Buffy's eyes fell on Angel and she could see that he was hurt and without thinking she rushed to his side. Spike's eyes narrowed as he watched the exchange, Cordy's heart fell as she saw the way the slayer was looking at her ex-boyfriend.

"Oh my god Angel you're hurt." She whispered.

"I'm fine Buffy." He answered as his eyes sought out his seer. Cordy could see that he was in a lot of pain and the best friend came out, she smiled and walked over to him.

"You're not ok let me take a look at it." Angel wrapped his arm around her shoulders, as her arm slid around his waist to give a little more support. She looked over at Wesley and Gunn and saw Fred hovering over them but she also was glancing at Angel. "How are you guys doing? Any patching up needed?" The two guys shook their heads,

Buffy watched from the door, suddenly forgotten, as he walked away from her without a second thought. Over at the sofa Angel sat down slowly and stiffly. Cordy took off his leather coat and soon his ruined shirt followed. She pushed his knees apart and knelt between them as she looked at the claw scratches that went from his chest to his stomach. Slowly she cleaned the wound, her touch feather soft so it could be barely felt. Angel looked down at the dark head of hair and smiled he loved it when she took care of him, it was the one thing that made getting hurt ok. Cordy patched him up and pulled out a bandage from the first aid kit and started to wrap it around him, when it went around his back she was pulled closed to his chest, she could smell him, her heartbeat started to speed up, her breath became shallow. Angel's eyes narrowed in thought he heard the change of her breathing and heart, and a new smell enveloped him, it was arousal. A purely masculine smile lit up his face, maybe there could be something between them after all if only they could talk about it. Cordy looked up and smiled at him she reached over and helped him put his ruined shirt back on and buttoned it up. "There good as new. Do you need any blood to help heal that up?"

"Thanks and no I don't it wasn't all that deep." All he wanted to do was be here with his family Cordelia, Connor, Fred, Gunn, Wesley and Lorne where he could be relaxed and be himself. With Buffy here he felt himself reverting back to how he was the hiding in the shadows and doing what ever she wanted and when he felt that happening he looked around him this was his home, these were his friends, this was his life, it was amazing how much he had changed more in these last years in LA then he had ever done in his 250 years before. A lot had to do with the people he had met and how they had treated him, he was more than just a vampire and he kept trying and trying to prove to them that they're trust in him had not been misplaced.

A cough was heard from the stairs. "Angelcakes I hope everything went ok but." Lorne stopped as he saw the new comers were staring him at. "Hi,"

Angel looked at Cordelia and they both knew that Lorne was talking about Connor. "Lorne why don't you introduce yourself and maybe do some readings." Cordy asked as she nodded to the others and her and Angel went off up the stairs.

"Of course princess I'd be happy to see what their aura's tell me if they want me to?" Lorne said with a smile.

"What the hell is going on with them?" Buffy demanded.

Wesley hobbled over carefully. "They have things they need to do." He tried to explain.

"What kind of things?" Buffy carried on getting annoyed.

Wesley was getting angry Buffy came here and thought that everything would be dropped because she was the centre of attention at Sunnydale.

"Things that've got nothing to do with you." Gunn answered he had no idea who she was and didn't have any history with her at all. He knew that she had died and was no back but that was no reason to talk down to anyone.

Buffy turned to him and she knew that she wasn't going to get any answers, so she turned and tried to follow where Angel and Cordelia had gone. Wesley and Gunn stood in her way. "They are private quarters Angel will be back down when he is finished and then you can ask him whatever you want but please have a seat I am sure he won't be to long." Well they hoped he wouldn't be they weren't sure how long they could keep the slayer down here.

Upstairs Angel and Cordy had straight for Angel's room they knew that is where Lorne would have put him. "Hey big guy." Cordy said smiling as she watched Angel pick up his son. "You're going to have to tell her we can't keep him up her forever." She commented.

Angel nodded. "I suppose so." That was a conversation he was not looking forward to, glancing around he noticed that there was no baby formula, and everyone would notice them leaving the kitchen with a bottle he sighed deeply. "Well no time like the present I suppose."

Cordy reached out and touched his arm she knew how hard this was for him especially explaining about Darla. She held out her arms. "You explain and I will feed."

"You're not going to leave me alone with them are you?" Angel asked worriedly.

"Buffy is going to want to talk to you alone Angel you have hardly said two words to her and she's noticed there is something different in your relationship." Cordy choked the words out.

Angel looked at her. "Buffy and I don't have a relationship not anymore." He knew at some point that he was going to have to sit Cordy down and make her understand that he would always love Buffy she was a big part of his life, a big part of his past but that was it. Cordy was stubborn and he knew that he was going to have to tell her over and over again that he loved her, he smiled at the thought that was something he was going to enjoy doing as long as she loved him back the same way, she had to, he couldn't even think of the alternative.

Angel and Cordy walked down the stairs both making faces at the baby. Suddenly in the lobby the silence was deafening you could hear a pin drop and suddenly Xander's voice echoed out.

"That's a baby." He turned to his friends. "Did anyone know that Cordy was a mother?"

"I'm not his mother." Cordy answered and her heart broke.

"Yes you are." Angel told her, she was his mother and he couldn't think of anyone better. Cordy smiled a 1000-watt smile at him.

"Ok I'm not his biological mother." Cordy confirmed.

"So who is the mother and the father." Willow asked.

"Well I am his father." Angel answered.

Spike turned to him his face echoed the shock that the others showed.

"Well this little guy is hungry." Cordy said as she escaped into the kitchen. Angel watched and wished he could follow.

"You have a child Angel and you never told me? Who the hell is the mother?" Buffy screamed at him.

"I didn't know how to tell you and how often do you phone and tell me what has happened in your life unless you wanted to rub my nose in it." The vampire was angry this was his life.

Buffy looked down at the ground and tears spilled from her eyes. "I'm sorry Angel this was a bit of a shock." She couldn't believe that his life had changed so much and he looked so happy. "So who is the mother, biologically I mean?" She finished she didn't want to upset him again.

"Darla." Angel whispered as he waited for the reaction.

TBC