Always Chapter 7 Darla, Connor and More Surprises
Buffy's mouth fell open; Spike's eyes froze on Angel.
"Damn you" the blonde haired vampire muttered.
Cordy stood in the kitchen door and watched she saw Spike's face.
"Spike." She called out. He turned to look at her. "Come and help me in the kitchen." The vampire opened his mouth to say something. "Now" she added. With another quick glance at Angel and Buffy Spike shrugged his shoulders and then they dropped, he scuffed his way to the kitchen to join the cheerleader.
The rest of the Scooby gang just stared at Angel. Xander turned and looked at his friends. "I did just miss hear that didn't I. Or I had a nightmare right." He looked hopefully at the others and when they didn't reply he sighed. "Angel has a child by Darla and Cordy is helping to raise him. Just clarifying it for myself." He shook his is head again to see if it would wake him up from this hallucination, because it had to be he still could not get his mind around this. "Do you know something?" Everyone turned to him except for Buffy her eyes will still fixed on Angel. "I'm ok with the baby and Darla as strange as that sounds, but the main problem I am understanding is Cordelia, the bitch of Sunnydale High, why on earth would you want her to be a mother figure?"
Angel glared at him soon joined by Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Lorne. "Cordy is a great mother." Fred said defensively. Gunn turned and looked at Wesley. "Yo English. You're the leader. Do you mind if I smash some manners into this boys head?"
Xander's face paled and he took a step back, eyes wild looking at everyone in the room.
"If he makes another crack like that about Cordy I'll help you Gunn." Wesley said with a grin.
"I didn't mean that ummm" he stuttered.
Angel walked towards him. "Cordy is an amazing woman. She takes care of all of us and is very protective just like we are with her. She is our family"
Gunn nodded in agreement. "Just stop shouting your mouth off and things will be just fine."
Xander nodded.
"You have a child by Darla?" Buffy questioned everyone turned to face her. "How, why" she shook her head trying to clear it. "How did it happen?" Angel raised an eyebrow at her and his look was eloquent. "I know how, I mean Darla is dead."
Angel smiled. "You all better sit down." He turned to look at the kitchen; he didn't want to leave Cordy alone with Spike for too long. Just as if she could read his mind and he sometimes thought she could the two of them walked out with the baby. "We need some more formula Spike and I are going down to the local market."
Buffy and Angel both stared at them. Cordy smiled and slipped her empty arm through Spikes and pulled him away and out of the hotel. Angel wanted to go after them but he knew Cordy would kill him. Buffy turned her attention straight back to Angel she sat down. "Ok now explain." The slayer ordered.
Spike and Cordy walked down the street. "So what is it about Buffy that makes vampires fall in love with her?" Cordy asked.
Spike stopped which meant she had to as well. He turned at stared at her. "I'm not, I mean I…" He stuttered not knowing what to say.
"It's ok Spike. I could see it on your face. Does she know?"
He nodded and softly said. "She said that she could never love a monster and that was all I am."
Cordy's jaw dropped. "She said what?" Amazement covered her face. "I never thought she could be so cruel."
"It's because I am not Angel. There is no one for her apart from him, well that is what she thinks anyway."
Cordy nodded in agreement. "Oh yes the Buffy and Angel tragic romance story. We all have lived and still are living through it."
"So what about you?" Spike asked.
Cordy looked at him confused. "What about me what?"
"You and Angel?" He said with a grin on his face.
"There is no me and Angel. We are best friends."
"Same boat huh." Spike said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Yep you and me. Quite a team huh. A seer and a vampire, both who love people who will never return it in a way they want. If you ever need to talk come to LA or pick up a phone an call me." Cordy offered.
Spike smiled at her and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. "Same goes for me. But I know how you hate Sunnydale so you call and I'll come here."
Cordy stuck out her hand. "Friends?"
"Friends, so tell me about this little chap and Darla."
Cordy shook her head. "Angel and his speech about. I was going through a dark time." She mimicked.
Spike laughed.
Meanwhile back at the hotel Angel had just finished telling them about what had happened.
"Darla killed herself so they baby could live?" Willow whispered.
"You would have killed Darla and the baby because she bit Cordelia." Buffy said. Why would Angel have done that?
He shook his head tired of Buffy and Xander putting down Cordy. He looked at the clock and they had not returned yet, he was getting worried. He looked over at Gunn, Fred and Wesley. They all nodded, understanding what he was thinking. Angel walked over the phone and rang her mobile.
Giles watched them amazement evident in his face. "How do you all do that?"
"Do what?" Wesley asked.
"You just look at each other and then you all seem to communicate." He asked.
"It's been a while." Wesley started.
"And we are all worried." Fred added.
"And we want to know where she is." Gunn joined in.
"And if she is safe." Lorne said with a grin.
"So I am calling her mobile" Angel muttered as he dialled.
"Cordy where are..no but..I was just…no I trust you..well no I didn't mean it.." He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it.
"She's fine." Gunn said with a grin and knew that Angel had just gotten an earful.
"Her, Spike and Connor are getting ice cream."
"Ice cream?" Buffy said. Spike should be here with her, he said he loved her so he should be here comforting her. The slayer had just found out that the love of her life had a baby with someone who was staked years ago and is being raised by her rival from Sunnydale.
Angel stared at the door wondering if he should go out and find her.
"Don't Angel she would not be happy if you phoned her she would make you pay for it." Wesley explained.
Buffy watched Angel and saw him smile as he thought of Cordelia, the jealousy grew in her once again and a determination came over her, Angel would be hers again. They were meant for each other and he had just forgotten it but she was going to remind him. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder and smiled sweetly up at him.
"Maybe we could go somewhere, like old times." She whispered to him.
Just at that moment Spike and Cordy walked in laughing, but the smiles vanished as they saw Buffy and Angel looking at each other.
Cordy's changed once again so there was no emotion on it. "Yes Angel you should just like old times. I'm just going to go upstairs and play with Connor."
Spike turned and watched Cordy his admiration for her growing. "I think I'll join you and get to know the little fella." With that he placed his hand on the small of her back and they went upstairs, hiding their faces and their true feelings.
"See Cordelia thinks it is a good idea." Buffy said seductively.
"Buffy I can't, I won't drop everything just like that I have a life here, I have a family and I work for Wes now. I have responsibilities."
Buffy grew angry. "What about your responsibilities to me?"
Angel stared at her eyes wide. "Buffy we have both moved on with our lives, we are not the same people that we were and I don't want to go back. Look around you I am happy here. I have this family people I can rely and trust on, I have people I love, I have a son and you want me to what exactly?"
"I want you to come home to Sunnydale, to be with me like it used to be?" She said with tears in her eyes.
Amazement was written all over Angel's face. "After all I have just said you honestly want me to leave everything."
"Yes I can't move her because I am the slayer and I have to fight the fight in Sunnydale but you could join me?" Her voice was hopeful.
"Buffy I have a mission here, Cordy is my seer. Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Lorne and Cordy are fighting for souls, for my redemption so one day I will become human. I let them down once before and hurt them especially Cordy and I won't do it again ever." Angel tried to let her know how much these people meant to him.
"But you love me?" Buffy whined.
"I will always love you. Buffy you were my first love and made me realise that people could care about me and I could care about them. But I'm not in love with you, not anymore and I haven't been for a long time now." Angel's voice was soft.
"I love you Angel I always have." She grabbed hold of him and tried to kiss him.
Angel took hold of her shoulders and pushed away gently. "No Buffy you in love with the idea of being in love." He looked into her eyes. "What's really wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I just want things to be back to the way they were. I want you back."
"Buffy you can't go back you can only go forward." Angel told her softly he could see that their was something wrong with her and he didn't know what it was but she did not seem the same young woman he knew, in a way she was acting more child like, the more problems she had the more immature she acted. He glanced up the stairs and that was another different between the two of them Cordy took any situation head on and dealt with it the only way she knew how. She would fight for the people she cared for. The more problems she had the more amazing woman she became until it had became the woman he fell in love with, she still had so elements of that brash teenager he had met she still had no tact and most of the times when she thought something she said it, and now he realised a lot of her bitchiness was too hide her true feelings, she never had any real friends in Sunnydale people just wanted to be seen with her, in LA wanting to be an actress people would have tried to use her. He was glad that he had bumped into her Angel could no longer imagine his life without his Cordy.
Buffy looked up at him and she saw he was looking up the stairs. "What the hell is going on with you and Cordelia you are either watching her, talking about her and I'm guessing thinking about her? She is nothing, less than that. She's a failed actress and has no one can rely on her." She spat out anger getting the better of her Cordy had everything that she should have this was supposed to be Buffy's life and the bitch stole it. "She stole my life, she stole you. I should be here not her."
Angel visibly pulled away, his eyes were like shutters they turned off and became cold and distant anger vibrated through him. He headed towards the basement, he was not going to hit her but he had to hit something.
Lorne turned the others and indicated upstairs Wesley nodded at him, the only person who could calm him down, was funny enough the only person that could truly wind him up as well.
The demon rushed up the stairs, he knocked gently on the door and walked in Cordy was crying and Spike had his arms wrapped around her. "Sorry princess but things got from bad to worse down there and I have never seen Angelcakes so angry."
Cordy pulled away from Spike, she smiled at him wiped her eyes and turned to look at her friend. "What happened?" She asked worry was evident in her voice.
"Well it seems little Miss Slayer wants to rewind history when tall, dead and studly said that time couldn't not be rewound and that he wasn't actually in love with her. She laid into you saying that you stole her life and all this should be hers. I thought Angel was going to hit her but he headed down to the basement."
From downstairs a shout was heard and banging of feet on the stairs Angel's door was ripped from its hinges and standing there was one very angry slayer. Her eyes blazing she stalked towards Cordy. Spike took one sidestep and stood face to face with Buffy.
"I won't let you hurt her Buffy, she doesn't have super strength like you and you aren't thinking clearly." Spike told her, he could feel Cordy's eyes glaring at his back but he would deal with later as long as she was unhurt.
"You're protecting her why? You said you loved me?" Buffy looked at him accusingly. There was a gasp from the door Spike looked over Buffy and saw that everyone apart from Angel was there.
"You called me a monster and that you could never have feelings for me. Maybe I am but Cordy treated me like a person, a man but she never forget that I was still a vampire and she was ok with that. When we were out she asked if I needed any blood and did I take anything in it."
"Buffy I haven't done anything to you." Cordy said as she stepped around Spike and patted him on the shoulder.
"Angel you stole him from me, it's your fault." Buffy said tears filling her eyes.
"He loves you, he'll always love you." Cordy said her heart breaking as the words came out of her mouth.
"No he says he's not in love with me anymore and it's all because of you."
"Why is it my fault?" Cordy was starting to get angry; she had enough of all of this.
"Because he loves you." Buffy screamed at her.
"You're wrong." Cordy whispered it would have been a dream come true if it were.
"She's right," said a male voice from behind the others, they all moved and they're stood Angel. "I do love you. How could I not? Look at the amazing woman you've become. You know more about me than anyone else, you make me laugh, you get me angry quicker than anyone, I do anything for you, and you heat my blood up. You're my best friend and before I knew it I was head over heels in love with you and seeing you holding Connor I want to walk over and hold you both in my arms. You keep this place going. You sort out the arguments. You are my heart and soul and I could never think of a way to tell you and if I had thought of anything it would not have been this." He turned to Buffy. "There is something wrong with you and if you don't talk about it whatever it is will eat you up inside and never take it out on any of my family."
Cordy 's world stopped and she could not tear her eyes away from her vampire, a smile appeared on her face yes Angel was her vampire.
"I love you to Angel." She whispered.
Angel's head whipped round a smile on his face.
"But we have all the time in the world to discuss it. Buffy we are going out."
Buffy stared at her. "I'm not." But before she could finish her sentence Cordy grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the room and then out of the hotel.
Angel still had a stupid smile on his face but it vanished as soon as he realised Cordy would be alone with a jealous and angry slayer he made a move to the door but Wesley stopped him.
"Don't Angel Cordy has to do this." Wesley said Angel knew that he was right but it did not make him worry any less.
"If Buffy hurts her." Angel growled.
The LA crew nodded in agreement and to the surprise of the Scooby gang so did Spike. He had become protective of Cordy she was truly one of the good guys and there were not many people like her in the world.
TBC