Okies...Third Chapter! Yes Poor Wesley...but he will soon find something..or should I say someone. Three Wild guesses who? So what's the confetti and hats for? Here's the answer! I told you I would answer le question. Thanks for the reviews. Euley and Imzadi

Again for the notice factor: I own Sophia. Joss's beloved Buffyverse is his

"It's 2:30! She should be here by now"

Cordelia Chase-Liam peeked through the door of the Hyperion Hotel checking for her friend. She had met Sophia Avila at Dawn Wells' wedding and had talked on the phone with her over the last couple of months.

"Cordelia, she said she was coming at 3:00." Her husband Angel Liamwasn't surprised that his wife was giddy, but her anxiousness drove him crazy. Angel didn't do anxious often. The only time he really did it was when Cordy gave birth to their son Connor.

"I know, but people can be early, it's not too incredible" Angel gave her a look of sarcasm.
"Hey buddy. The 'Your and idiot look' is my trademark "

"It's probably traffic. Here let me check the times on lab top" Winfred "Fred" Gunn was also excited by the re-introduction Sophia. She had also met her at the wedding and they hit it off. She had also talked to her on occasion with Sophia when the Buffy gang needed info on certain hellions.

"Relax Chicas. She'll get here soon" Faith Smith wasn't one to do "excited", she did nonchalant, and she did it very well. She knew Sophia from Sunnydale, she wasn't her best friend, but they had talked for those 2 months Faith was in Sunnydale. She liked the girl. Faith had reformed, and although she wasn't chatty Kathy, she did give people more of a chance to earn her trust. And Sophia was getting there.

"Man, I never understand why girls get so excited" Charles Gunn wondered what was so amazing about this girl that had his wife and friends in a crazed mood.

"Oh Charles. We just want to welcome her. Give her a reason to stay." Fred was always a grand welcoming committee in one small Texas girl

"Yeah Chuck, because we wouldn't want to scare Sabrina with 'by the way, we need you to put your life on the line every day. Here's some streamers and bright colors" Faith also did sarcasm well.

"Oh, Faith-a-bell. You should have more of your namesake. We're just excited at the arrival of a new beautiful bouncing 26 year old new Sabrina ."

Lorne had caught on to Faith's nickname for Sophia. He, too, had met Sophia and had seen a good future ahead for her when she sang at the Dawn and Andrew wedding. He was the one who told the others that they needed Sophia to help in cases. He had seen in her a warmth and strength that fit the bill for the gum-shoe work of Angel Investigations. But, he also saw an obstacle that she would have to face to arrive at her destiny. That was for later, when she became more comfortable in her new home.

"Oh! Her car! Nice…..silver shiny. Not an antique" She looked straight at Angel

"She's here! Oh I wish Wesley could be here. Then we could all welcome her as a family" Fred had always loved the family dynamic and now another spark was about to arrive.

"His flight comes in at 3 today. He's taking a taxi, so he'll meet her soon."

Angel wanted to pick him up. Since he wasn't a vampire anymore, he could venture out into the sun and tan if he wanted to. But, he hated to be tan so he stuck indoors as long as he could.

They all lined up as Cordelia had confetti in her hand and everyone else had "Welcome" hats. Fred had put paper over the "Back's and replaced it with drawings of balloons. All the men thought it was ridiculous, but they decided to be nice and do it for Sophia. Plus, their wives and girlfriends wouldn't speak to them if they didn't. So there they were. All lined up and awaiting the arrival of a new member of the Angel Investigations team.

"Wow, this place is amazing. I wonder how great it looks on the inside"

Sophia had seen people scurrying inside, but decided to just not look and be surprised. She loved the hotel. She thought it was something out of an old 1940's movie. Something staring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Her very own 'Roman Holliday'. Without the Rome and the classic leading man, of course. She felt like she should be in a red skirt or a black dress with a nice black and white hat with a bow.

"Blue jeans and a purple top will have to do. Oh, Audrey would be ashamed at me" She thought.

She walked up the path that had a beautiful garden and a waterfall. She wanted to stop and stare and smell the flowers, but she decided it was best to have everyone else give her the grand tour. She even adored the door to which she was now turning the doorknob. Cordelia had told her to just open the door

"Why not? All the nether-creatures do" She had told Sophia in a phone conversation.

Sophia took a very deep breath and lightly opened the door. She didn't want to seem demanding or too timid. She was one to over-analyze everything.

"Welcome!" They all shouted at once. It surprised her how loud a group of 6 could be.

"Oh wow. Hey!This is great. Thank you so much" She was a little shocked that people that barely new her gave her such a warm hello

Cordelia was the first to run up and hug her.

"Ahhh! You're here! Your gonna love it! How was the trip?" Cordy was in a Fred mode of speak.

"In order. Yes. I'm sure I am. And very hectic, but good. " She smiled while Fred and Faith followed with the huge hugs.

"Hey Sophia. I'm Fred. I mean, I know you know what I look like, but I just wanted to re-intorduce myself. It's so nice to have you here and I'm glad that your joining the team." But, of course, no one can beat the master of fast talk.

"Don't worry Fred, I do that too. I never know if someone knows me so I reintroduce myself. It's nice to see you again. Thanks for letting me join the team. All of you"

"Hey Sabrina. I can't believe Mr. Watcher man let you come to the big bad city, but I'm glad he did" Faith smiled.
"Well, he had no choice. Still Five-by-five Faithy?" She laughed and noticed Angel look puzzled.
"As forever. And any of you call me that and your cause of death will be suffocation by a slayer." "Same old Faith" She thought.

After all the girls, the men came.
"Hello Angel. Thank you for inviting me to work for you"
"No problem. Your a great help to us."

"He's like Spike. Tough exterior, but probably a teddy bear inside" Sophia knew what a former bad vamp was like.

"Charles Gunn. Just Gunn Bad-thing killer extraordinaire. Hey Sophia"
"Ah, yes Gunn. I've heard of you many talents. Especially singing "My heart will go on" after every viewing of Titanic" She whispered that so only Fred and Gunn would hear it. Cordy had told her that after she caught Gunn singing to Celine one day.

"Oh yeah that. Umm"
"Our little secret." She gave him a smile and winked at Cordy.

"Ah the glorious Sophia. As beautiful as the Italian wonder. Maybe even more. "
"Lorne. How are you, you charmer?" "As spiffy great as ever." She talked to Lorne on occasion. Especially when Faith and he were trying to get their relationship off the ground.

"Always good to hear. "

Then a baby stared to cry.

"Connor" Cordelia had rushed to his side and picked him up from his play pen.

"Oh. I take it this is the beautiful baby Connor" He was still half asleep.
Cordy had taken Connor to Sophia. His story was actually pretty incredible.

It all stared with Angel helping in the apocalypse that almost happened. He had done his part in LA with keeping the demons at bay. He sacrificed himself in saving the world. In doing this, The Powers That Be decided that he had all the characteristics of a human and that he deserved to have his soul back without it ever being taken away from him. He also possessed the strength he had as a vampire, as long as he used it for good. So, he became human again and could perform human actives, such as marring Cordelia and having children. One year to the 'birth' of his new self. Cordelia and Angel had welcomed a new son Connor Doyle. Now Connor was a 2 years old and had awoken from his nap.

"Mommy, Daddy?" He looked all around and saw his parents smiling back

"Hey little buddy. This is a new friend. Her name's Sophia. Say hello"
"Hello"

"Hi Connor. How old are you"
"I'm this many" He held up two fingers

"Wow, You're a big boy. And you can count. That's pretty good. I couldn't count till I was this many." She held up 3 fingers

"Really"
"Yeah"
"Your nice"

"Thank you. You are too"
He smiled at her as to give his approval. Cordelia looked on lovingly and smiled.

"Well now that my son's in love with you. How about we get you settled in. Do you want anything to eat or drink"
"Coffee?" She was a caffeine crazy. She couldn't function without it in the morning and right now she felt like she had car-lag.

"Yeah. In Wesley's office." There was that name again.

Cordelia went to go get some coffee in the mysterious Wesley's office. Sophia turned to the group and gave them another smile.

"Thanks again for everything. And Fred. It was nice you made everyone wear the hats, but you don't keep them on for my sake you guys. "

"Thank you! It was killing my coif." Lorne happily removed the hat followed by Angel. Gunn had kept it on to make Fred happy. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she gave in.

"I have confetti all over me. I look like a cupcake"

"Are you saying I can't aim?" Cordelia came back with the coffee and a chip on her shoulder.
"No, just stating the fact"

"Nice save Angel. She'll believe you" Faith was smiling in the back enjoying Angel squirm

"Thanks Faith. Now who's paying your commission"
"Wesley. He's the boss"

"Oh damn. That's right"

"I can aim! OK? I'm a regular…baseball player guy" Sophia giggled as she drank her coffee.

Just like Anya and Xander. She had been around couple banter for a long while now.

Fred was holding Connor and decided to change him, she saw it as practice for her own baby

"I'm going to go change him and make sure he avoids a complex from seeing his parents act like this" "I'll go with you honey" Gunn also saw it as training "Nice to have you here Sophia. It's always good to have another girl around"

"Thanks Fred" She smiled and gave her another hug.
"The decorations are remarkable."

"Thanks Sophia" Gunn gave Sophia a smile and went with his wife. She saw them kiss.

"That's adorable" She thought. She secretly longed for a relationship like that. After years of seeing nothing but happy couples made her yearn for a companion. Not to mention because of her reunion with her father, she ached for a happy family.

Cordelia came with some papers and sat her down on the round couch in the middle of the hotel.

The hotel was as astonishing as she thought it would be. Big staircases, long enterences. Colors of greens, reds, and golds.

"Well here go the living arrangements. We found a great little apartment just around here that's in you budget, but It's not visible until tomorrow"
"Oh did you conjure it?"

"No, it's just the guy moves out of it today"
"Oh" It was a witch thing.

"So for today. You'll live in a room that Fred and I arranged"

"Oh. Thank you so much."

"Oh no problem. Actually it was Angel's old room until we moved into a new apartment. You see we helped this really nice ghost that used to live with me, his name was Dennis, and we set him free into the joyful spirit realm. After that, the apartment didn't feel the same, so we moved.

"This hotel isn't haunted is it? It only has Casper like ghosts? "

"Bad poltergeist experiences?"

"In real life. No. In the movies, Oh dear Lord yeah."

"We got rid of all the spirits. Yeah Angel and this hotel go way back"
"Huh. Ok, Whew Safer feeling coming"
"So, let's go look at your psudo new home"

They went up the velvet steps that lead to a hall that was illuminated with lights and a red wallpaper. There were about 25 doors and Sophia was dizzy at just the sight. She loved it though, very single minute of it. "Here we are. You open the door"
Sophia swung it open and saw it painted white with a bed, a nightstand and a dresser. All wood. It was a fairly large room with a door opening to a terris. The slight breeze caressed the curtains and brushed upon Sophia's face. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I guess you like it"
"I love it"
"Home already"
"Getting there"

"Here's the bathroom. I bought the shampoo Giles said you liked and a hair dyer, because a girl can never have a frizz disaster on her first day in LA"

"Thanks Cordy. Your making this easier for me"
" Oh hon. Don't worry. I can tell everyone loves you already. Take a shower and relax. Afterwards you can call your Dad"
"How did?"
"The look on your face when I mentioned his name"
"That transparent"
"No, I had that look when I came to LA and wanted to call someone that I loved. It'll get better" She smiled and left the room

Sophia took her advice and hopped in the shower. She let the smell of jasmine and roses come over her as she reminisced about her mother. Isabella always smelled of roses after a fresh shower or a calming bath. Then suddenly Sophia stared to cry. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She had just moved away from her father and had just remembered the essence of her beloved mother. She calmed herself with a saying her mother would always tell her.

"Even when I'm not near you, my spirit will be. You're an Avila, our love never leaves you." She guessed it was the witch in her that found comfort in spirits. Not poltergeists, but the spirit of someone . Their life presence, themselves.

"God, why can't I just let it go. It's been 13 years. I'm a grown woman"

Sophia was never one to let go easily. She always held on strong to people and events in her life that she adored. She hated change, and had only agreed to move both times because she knew she was needed. She believed her fear of change began when her mother died suddenly and without any warning. She had chanted the saying over and over again, but it did no good whatsoever. A lost and lonely 12 year old girl, her only family her aunt Lottie, that just wanted to be in her mother's arms and to be told that everything was going to be ok. But that never could be, for her mother was gone and she was never coming back.

It took Sophia 12 years to accept that. That was the same year she was introduced to her father. Another life altering, ground shaking moment that she couldn't escape. And here began another, a new life with the Angel Investigations gang that was sure to be as eventful and ,hopefully, less heartbreaking than the other two instances. She shook herself out of her trance and stepped out of the shower. She dried herself off with the towel that had a note by it.

"Holler if you need anything"

"Fred." She said softly and put the note with her other belongings. Her new family was already caring for her and worrying about her every want.

She got dressed in a white sundress that she always felt comfortable in. It was flowy and clean against her tan skin. Sophia also followed Cordy's advice and had blown dried her hair straight. It looked as if night had directly landed in her hair, black as coal. She loved it that way, no highlights, just her natural self. She put on some make-up and perfume as a ritual she always did.

She felt as if she should be singing a musical number. She also felt a little ridiculous because of her preparations.

"Who else am I going to meet? I'm so dim-witted. Getting ready for a night of looking at demon splatter"

She looked in the mirror.
"No Audrey, but she'd approve"

She decided to just stay this way and go downstairs to see what everyone was doing. She cleaned her room and straightened out the bathroom. She had also been a compulsive neat freak since birth. When everything was in perfect order, she decided to leave the sanctuary of memories and venture out in her first day as a member of Angel Investigations.

"Here I go" She whispered to herself.

She sighed and headed down the beautiful steps to her new awakening.

In the Next Chapter: The watcher and the witch will meet! Squeals The de-lovely journey begins for the two love birds. Love at first sight...maybah! Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps! Ever look at a sunset?...Wes and Soph will!