Title: Right Before Your Eyes

Author: Wereleopard
Rating: PG

Pairing: C/A
Email: Angst
Summary: Up to pregnant Darla it is AU, Angel's thoughts and questions about himself, his friends, his redemption and the love he has for Cordy.

Disclaimer: The characters in the Angel verse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made I am just poor and the song doesn't belong to me either.
Distribution: FSB!

Feedback: Yes please!

A/N Ok this is AU duh! LOL. So instead of Spike making Buffy feel something it was Angel, but Spike IS still in love with her and we know who Angel wants.

Chapter 3

Middle of Nowhere, USA

"You have to be kidding me." Cordelia muttered as she stared into the blue eyes of Lindsey McDonald.

"So I repeat I see a seer but no champion." He gazed at her she could see his mind working overtime trying to solve this problem in his head, trying to be prepared for everything.

"What do you want Lindsey?" Cordelia asked she was tired; she wasn't in the mood to play games.

"Lindsey you're back." Mrs Pearce said grinning at the young man. "All the young ladies will be happy about that." Cordelia was sure she heard him groan. "And you've met our new waitress Cord."

Lindsey interrupted her. "Yes Cordelia and I already knew each other we met up in LA we had some business that caused us to come in contact. I was just asking why she was here and it seems by herself?" The ex-Wolfram and Hart lawyer asked the elderly lady slyly and his grin got bigger as he saw the seer glare at him.

"Oh yes our little Cordelia here is all by herself and we have tried to set her up with some lovely young men but she doesn't seem to be interested in them." Mrs Pearce said in a disproving voice.

"Maybe they're a couple of 100 years to young." Lindsey whispered in her ear and winced as she elbowed him in his chest.

"Well it is good to see that she knows someone here." With that Mrs Pearce walked off leaving the two young people once again alone.

"Why are you here Cordelia?" Lindsey asked, something had happened he wasn't sure what but he was guessing that Angel had broken her heart and it had to be something serious after all she had stood by his side through thick and thin and even though they didn't agree on anything the first thing on this young woman's mind was the people she loved.

He had read her file about how she was in Sunnydale he had a hard time from putting what he had read about the rich bitch with the Cordelia Chase he knew and had gone up against, she was protective and caring, funny and understanding so why was Cordelia Chase seer for the champion for the Powers That Be here in this godforsaken town working as a waitress.

"Why are you here Lindsey?" Cordelia asked raising an eyebrow as she watched him.

"I needed to get away and my car broke down here, and, well, I don't know it kind of grew on me so I stayed." He muttered feeling stupid and he looked into her hazel eyes and waited for her to laugh at him but she didn't and in her eyes she saw understanding.

"I drove and drove and I stopped here for gas I was so tired and I collapsed when I woke up the Dr had seen me and they all took turns in taking care of me, it was nice." She said with a sweet smile on her face.

"So how about getting a drink with me tonight?" Lindsey asked not sure why he did.

Cordelia watched him carefully not sure what his motivations were but she didn't want to be alone again, she wanted just to sit and talk with someone that understood and it looked like her only choice was and ex-evil lawyer.

"That sounds good, uhh I'll see you at 7pm" She said and watched as he nodded he didn't' need to ask which bar because there was only one and maybe it would keep other guys off her back, what she didn't know was that Lindsey was thinking that exact same thing and that he was also looking forward to spend some time with her.

Cordelia shook her head of the retreating back of Lindsey.

"What the hell am I doing?" She muttered echoing the same thing that her voice in her head had been screaming at her as soon as the two of them had started to talk and she had had not told him to leave her the hell alone.

Mrs Pearce came back over and joined her with a small mysterious smile on her face.

"So you and Lindsey then?" She asked slyly looking over at the young woman whom she had adopted as the Cordelia seemed so lost and alone.

"There is no me and Lindsey we are just going to…" Cordelia paused what were they going to talk about. Gee Lindsey how did you enjoy your first meeting with Angel when he pushed your vampire client through a window in broad daylight? How did you enjoy help giving me visions 24/7? This one was a goody Lindsey how's your evil hand? Cordelia sighed she could always ask how he enjoyed being second best to Angel? Her heart dropped as she thought about the vampire that had stolen her heart and then broken it. Her mind was made up she was going to meet up with him. "We are going to talk about old times." She told the nosey woman, she knew that all Mrs Pearce wanted to see people happy.

"I am sure it will be good to talk to an old friend." The old woman's eyes glittered with happiness.

"Yes old friends." The brunette pasted a fake smile on her face, she didn't want to disappoint her old friend and how would she explain her 'friendship' with the lawyer.

Hyperion Hotel, LA

Angel was in hell, really he was, and the 100 years he spent in what he thought was hell was actually heaven. Angel managed to sneak away from the nightmare that was his life, he closed the door of his bedroom and tried to block everyone and everything out, as soon as it closed he clicked the lock into place and leant his head again it trying to block everyone out, he was tempted just to move along a bit and start banging his head on the wall, it sounded like much more fun than his life at the moment.

Buffy had gone back to Sunnydale after 'the incident' but she had started to phone every night and Angel was beginning to run out of excuses. She had popped up a couple of times and she was back AGAIN. What was going on in Sunnydale? Were all the vamps and demons taking a group holiday? But the was thing was, and he couldn't believe he was saying this, that the petite blonde kept touching him, brushing his arm, his shoulder, whispering in his ear and every time she walked past him she would rub her body against his, even if they were in the middle of the lobby and if she told him one more time that 'you make me feel' he was going to scream. The vampire knew that Buffy had been through a lot and he was trying to be understanding but he also had a very pregnant and very irritable Darla in the house. So there is a vampire and a slayer who hate each other.

Angel rubbed the bridge of his nose, he truly had screwed up, again and the one person he could talk to, the person who made him laugh no matter what the situation. The person he told everything to wasn't around and that was his fault.

"Angel man." Gunn called out from the other side of the door as he knocked.

Sighing Angel stepped back unlocked it and opened the door carefully hoping that the blonde leach was not in sight. He poked his hand around the door and carefully looked up and down the corridor lucky enough it was only Gunn.

Gunn watched Angel warily check the corridor out, he couldn't help it he started to laugh, it was amusing, well a first, and if you didn't have to be around it all the time watching Buffy 'the vampire slayer' Summers chasing Angel the Scourge of Europe around the hotel, he tried to stop laughing at the glare he was getting from his friend, from the former leader of Angel Investigations, it just made the black man laugh harder.

"What is it?" Angel growled this was the first time he had managed to be alone.

Gunn stopped laughing and could see how tired Angel was, how this was all starting to take its toll on him, the street fighter knew that the vampire could have dealt with anything, if Cordelia had been here. Shaking his head and the irony of it all Angel had been in love with Buffy for so long and now that he had moved on and fell in love with Cordelia he is stuck here with his ex-girlfriend wondering where the woman he loved was.

Gunn reached out and touched Angel on the shoulder. "Just came to check if you were ok. We're worried about you?"

Angel gave Gunn a small smile. "I'm fine."

The two men looked at each other remembering the one person who would say that time and time again.

Angel nodded briefly to Gunn and shut the door, he slowly made his way to his bed and laid down, closing his eyes he sighed and his mind conjured up a beautiful brunette and at last he fell asleep and felt truly at peace, as he always did when he thought of his Cordelia.

"Cordy, love you." He mumbled in his sleep.

Middle of Nowhere, USA

Cordelia Chase deep asleep after a double shift.

"Angel, love you." She mumbled and her soul lifted as his name escaped her lips.

Middle of Nowhere, USA.

8 Months Later.

A very pregnant Cordelia Chase walked around the restaurant she worked, she loved these people in this town they had grown to become family, she smiled as a young man handed her up his plate as it was hard for her to bend down and pick them up.

Cordy was happy but there wasn't a day go by when she didn't think of Angel Investigations. She phoned them whenever she had a vision and now it was getting more and more difficult but another pair of arms tried to catch her, they weren't the arms she dreamt of every night and the calls were getting harder and harder, when they all begged and pleaded to tell them where she was, 6 months ago she would have said yes, she was ready and then something happened and she couldn't go back like this she could never see them again.

A male hand touched her shoulder.

"Why don't you marry me? It is my child you are carrying." He said.

Cordelia turned around and stared into the blue eyes of Lindsey McDonald the father of her unborn child.

TBC